20-year-old Thai singer’s death sparks warnings about ‘neck-twisting’ massage risks

The death of a singer in Thailand following weeks of illness she attributed to a series of intense, “neck-twisting” massages has sparked urgent warnings from the country’s doctors about the potentially fatal risk such treatments can pose.

Chayada Prao-hom, 20, was pronounced dead on Sunday from a blood infection and brain swelling at about 6am at a hospital ICU in Udon Thani, according to the Bangkok Post.

In the days and weeks before her death, she had posted details online about three massage sessions she had undergone since October that she said had left her bedridden, with numbness spreading through her body. She reported her condition deteriorating further with each session.

On November 6, Chayada – a singer of the northeastern Mo Lam style – posted an x-ray image of her spine to her Facebook page and told her fans that she had gone to the same massage shop for all three treatments. During the first two visits, a masseuse gave her “a neck twist”. On the third visit, she was treated by another masseuse with a “heavy hand” that left her with swelling and bruises over her body for a week.

She said the numbness spread and a fortnight later she could not lift her right arm.

Following news of her death, Thai doctors took to social media to warn of the risks of twisting the neck.