 "yawn spinal injury")
“I never thought a simple yawn could turn into a catastrophe. One moment I stretched, the next I felt an electric shock, and my life changed forever. In minutes, my ordinary morning turned into a medical nightmare, one that left me fighting to walk again,” recalled Hayley Black, 36, a mum of three in the UK. But how can a simple action like yawning break your spine? Here’s what happened and why.
What happened to Hayley Black?
One morning, she got up early to make a bottle for her newborn. She noticed her baby yawning, and she followed suit by instinctively stretching and yawning. That’s when she felt it: a sudden, violent electric shock down one side of her body. Her arm froze mid-air. She couldn’t move properly.
She urged her husband to call an ambulance, as something felt deeply wrong. In the hospital, doctors struggled at first: scans didn’t reveal anything obvious, and they told her everything looked “normal.” But the pain, the shock and paralysis on her right side told her otherwise.
Further tests revealed the truth: two vertebrae in her neck (C6, C7) had been forced forward into her spinal cord, as a result of that forceful yawn, compressing nerves and causing damage. She was rushed into emergency surgery, told she had about a 50–50 chance to survive and walk again. Thanks to the surgical team, she walked out, but not without permanent damage.
How common is yawn-induced spinal injury?
According to research, yawn-induced injuries are extremely rare. Yawning is a reflex and nobody imagines it can break your neck. Most spine injuries happen from accidents, falls, or major trauma. For a yawn to cause internal damage significant enough to displace vertebrae is almost unheard of.
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But just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The spine, especially the cervical (neck) area, is delicate and complex. If there’s underlying weakness (osteoporosis, degenerative disc disease, ligament laxity), an unexpected force, even from stretching or sudden motion, can theoretically trigger injury. In Hayley’s case, something like that likely made her more vulnerable.
Medical literature includes very few documented cases like hers, but each reminds us that our bodies have tipping points, and sometimes ordinary actions can push them past the limit.
What were her symptoms?
Here’s how things went downhill, step by step:
- Electric shock sensation: The first thing she felt was like a jolt down her body
- Paralysis/loss of control: Her right side went numb or became less responsive
- Severe pain that didn’t align with scans initially
- Arm stuck mid-movement; she couldn’t bring it back down
- Initial unresponsiveness from scans; doctors thought nothing was wrong
If you ever feel sudden, intense nerve sensations or paralysis after a trivial movement, never shrug it off. Trust your body more than the test results—ask for deeper scans, insist on MRI, spinal imaging, neurologist consults.
What did doctors find and how was she treated?
Once advanced imaging revealed the damage, it was clear: C6 and C7 vertebrae had impinged on her spinal cord. Her spinal cord was compressed. She was paralysed on one side.
Surgery was her only option. They removed or realigned what they could, fused parts of her neck, and stabilised the vertebrae. Post-op, she regained some basic functions. But the road to recovery is long, painful, and uncertain. Her spinal cord sustained permanent nerve damage, which means ongoing symptoms and limitations.
What’s life like now?
Hayley is not the same woman she was before. Her daily life changed in huge ways:
- Chronic nerve pain and shocks if she overexerts or doesn’t take her medication
- A condition called fibromyalgia (widespread pain, fatigue) developed after
- She can’t yawn freely and panics at the thought, sometimes stifling them
- Work and parenting became harder
What can we learn, and when should we worry?
- Don’t dismiss nerve symptoms. Sudden electric shocks, numbness, paralysis—these are red flags
- Know your risk factors. Conditions like spinal degeneration, previous injuries, bone weakness may make you vulnerable
- Be your best advocate. Just because a scan is “normal” doesn’t mean everything is okay
- Respect your body’s warning signs. Sometimes even small events can trigger big consequences
What is a yawn, and why is it contagious?
Yawning is an involuntary reflex where you open your mouth wide, take a deep inhale, briefly pause, and then exhale, often stretching the jaw and neck muscles in the process. But what makes yawns fascinating is that they are contagious. This means that seeing or hearing someone else yawn can trigger your own yawn.
Some scientists believe this is due to mirror neurons in our brain, which activate when we observe other people’s actions, making us want to imitate them.
Interestingly, contagious yawning tends to happen more strongly among people who are close—like family and friends—which suggests a social or emotional link. But researchers are still trying to understand this.
For more health updates, follow #HealthWithBS
This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
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