Woman, 33, issues warning after suffering stroke from ‘ripping open artery in neck’ during squats at gym
A fitness instructor has issued a warning to others looking to lift beyond their means in the gym following a terrifying health ordeal nearly two years ago.
Back in April 2023 Yoga instructor Bridgette Salatin, 33, was lifting some heavy weights in a home gym when she suddenly began feeling dizzy and got a 'really bad' headache.
She was doing some 70kg barbell squats at the time, which the mum-of-three claimed caused her to have a stroke and rip open an artery in her neck.
After the exercise, she got a piercing headache, followed by a sharp pain from her shoulders to her right temple, before collapsing to the ground.
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She called what she did 'ego lifting', and though she had no feeling in her right arm, the yoga instructor put it down to a tensed nerve or pulled muscle, only seeking medical help a week after.
Medics told her she had suffered a stroke that was caused by a vertebral artery dissection, simply known as a tear that formed a blood clot.
Reflecting on the incident, Bridgette puts it down to the fact that she didn't eat or sleep enough the night before, and held her breath before lifting a weight that was beyond her capabilities in the first place.
The American added that she has had three 'mini strokes' since and has been diagnosed with occipital neuralgia, a painful neurological condition that can cause sharp, shooting pains in the neck and back of the head.
Now, the gym fanatic only squats with lighter weights, and has made her return to fitness in the past month or so.
Nearly two years on from the horrific incident, the she's has urged others not to go too hard or 'ego-lift' while they work out, as it could also result in a serious health condition.
The Ohio-native spoke of the day of the incident: "When I woke up that day I had a pain in my neck but I thought I'd probably just slept on it funny.
"I was squatting and I had a barbell on my back. I started to get a really bad headache."
She explained that 155 lbs (70kg) in total on her back, noting that she 'had no business' attempting that weight as she was 'very, very skinny'.
Upon reflection, Bridgette thinks the fact that she was more muscular two years prior pushed her to go the extra mile.
"I was holding my breath and felt this sharp pain shoot up all the way from my shoulder to my ear, to my right temple and I fell. I didn't do anything about that," she explained.
"I thought I had tensed a nerve or pulled a muscle pretty hard."
When she went to hospital a week later, she remembered: "They did a few scans on me and they said 'you've had a stroke' but how in the world does that happen at the age of 31?
"I felt an instant grief. I thought 'I've failed myself' and 'am I ever going to be right again?'. I felt like I lost a sense of myself," noting that she hasn't been the same since.
The fitness enthusiast is adamant that she didn't feel other signs of a stroke, and after months of bed rest and over a year of taking blood thinner medication, her artery healed in August 2024.
She noted: "My short-term memory is gone and doing everyday things is hard for me.
"I used to teach a yoga class that was strictly on learning headstands but I can't do that anymore."
Admitting that she has a different view of exercise as a whole, she is now more wary of how much she eats and sleeps from day to day, while advising others to start with lower weights at the gym and finding 'a good balance' to challenge yourself without causing any pain.
"Don't push yourself too hard," she stated.
Joshua Nair