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I am a male, 37 years old. Last night, I had constipation and while attempting a bowel movement, I forced really hard and felt something in the bottom left front side of my neck “pop.” It was not a popping sound but something felt like a small pop. Is it possible that I ruptured an artery, vein or blood vessel in my neck and may be reducing the amount of blood going to my head and brain? Could I have increased my chances of a stroke or aneurysm?
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Male Person's Age: 37 Already Tried: Nothing
Thank you for the prompt response. So what exactly is a "spasm?"
My final two questions are
1. What did it mean by neck spasms can be caused by "tic?" 2. In the unlikely scenario it was a ruptured blood vessel or arteries, what symptoms should I be on the lookout for?
HelloThe other doctor has gone off line.When you have a bowel movement, you are pushing down hard- which is called valsalva. Sometimes you can actually, cause a small bleb in the lungs (which can be normal in people) to pop and the air will escape and give a popping sensation in the neck.This is called subcutaneous emphysema associated with a valsalva maneuver.This is not dangerous or life threatening and will resolve. This is not related to an aneurysm or stroke. If you feel short of breath or if the neck is expanding in size then you need to seek medical care right away as this means that there is still air leaking. I have seen this a number of times in my practice.Just make sure you are drinking prune juice and take a stool softener like colace...You can read about it in this article (although this is a more extreme case)http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1080796
Warm regards.
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No, you did an excellent job of explaining everything. Thank you. :O)
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Oops, sorry. I realized that there is one more thing that I meant to ask and that should be it. So is there any possible negative effect of pushing too hard when having a bowel movement? I had always thought that doing this would increase my chances of a hernia, aneurysm or stroke.
The negative effect would be causing this air too leak do much that the can partially collapse. Very rare, but can occur and you need a chest tube to reinflate the lung. Hence always a goodIdea to drink plenty of water, eat fiber and take a stool softener if needed.Thanks!Please remember to complete the accept process and choose great service if this helped so I am credited for my time and expertise :-)
Experience: American Board Certified in Emergency Medicine- Ivy League trained
Thank you for all of your help. Take care. =)
Welcome :-)