A heavy metal fan was treated for a blood clot in his brain caused by excessive headbanging while at a Motörhead concert, the Globe and Mail reports.
A worsening headache forced the German rocker to meet with medical specialists. CT scans confirmed the blood clot. Surgeons successfully drilled a hole in the man’s skull to drain the blood and relieve the patient’s headache.
The man had no history of head injuries but did have a benign cyst making him more susceptible to brain trauma.
A case report reviewing the incident was published in a British medical journal last week by researchers from the Department of Neurosurgery at Hannover Medical School.
The article links headbanging to serious medical issues, including whiplash, cracked vertebraes, damage to the carotid artery, and chest pains caused by air leaking into the tissue around the lungs.
Injuries result from the violent back-and-forth movement of the head which causes the brain to hit the insides of the skull.
For More Information:
- Headbangers, beware: Heavy metal can be a health hazard, study warns, The Globe and Mail
