Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Tom Capezzuto
(973) 972-7273
E-mail: capezzta@umdnj.edu

At UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
Researchers Confirm Potential Risk for "Beauty Parlor Stroke"
Study Published in American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Researchers at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) have found that the neck extension required for a salon sink shampoo results in altered blood flow to the brain, which may be a risk factor for stroke.

This is the first scientific study to look at the previously reported phenomenon of individuals experiencing a stroke during or immediately after getting a salon shampoo. Study subjects also experienced pain and dizziness, warning signs for a stroke, particularly in elderly individuals.

The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

It was conducted by Drs. Patrick M. Foye, Scott F. Nadler and Todd P. Stitik of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. The study involved 25 male and female patients with an average age of 72 years, many of whom reported symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness during or shortly after receiving a shampoo at a salon.

The researchers found that when the subjects involved in the study extended their necks into the "salon sink position" for 12 minutes, 84 percent of them experienced pain and 40 percent reported dizziness. "We also found that carotid artery blood flow to the brain increased significantly, possibly representing compensatory blood flow changes," Dr. Foye said.

The researchers added a special neck support device developed by Dr. Michael P. Najar, one of the authors of the study. "With the neck support device, we found there was a dramatic reduction of pain and dizziness, while blood flow alterations were minimized," Dr. Foye noted.

Dr. Foye and his colleagues plan further studies to clarify how neck positioning and changes in blood flow may contribute to "beauty parlor strokes." "We advise those who have experienced previous symptoms-especially dizziness-and those with problems involving the neck or brain to exercise caution when deciding whether to receive a salon sink shampoo," Dr. Foye said.

The UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School is one of three medical schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. UMDNJ comprises New Jersey's only medical schools, the state's only dental school, a nursing school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions and a school of public health on campuses in Newark, Piscataway/New Brunswick, Camden, Stratford and Scotch Plains. It is affiliated with more than 200 health care and educational institutions throughout the state.