About 20 days ago, I woke up one morning with what seemed to be a stiff neck. I couldn’t turn my head to the right and it was painful.

I applied some topical medicine that I had at home to my neck and shoulder. I had experienced a stiff neck before, so I didn’t think it was anything unusual. However, it didn’t get better even after 3–4 days.

I thought I might need oral medication, so I took the medicine recommended by a doctor friend three times a day. I also went on a trip for about five days.

During the trip, it wasn’t too troublesome. I still had some pain and couldn’t turn my neck properly, but otherwise I was okay. Eventually, I returned to Yangon.

By then, it had already been about 10 days since it first started, but it still hadn’t gone away.

Because I was very busy with work, I thought I would just deal with it when it got better. Eventually, I went to see a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

I explained the whole situation to him. He said that I should have come to see him immediately when it first happened and that, because it had already been there for quite some time, it would take longer to treat.

Then he held my head and twisted/cracked my neck until I heard a “crack.” After that, he applied a hot medicinal ointment and wrapped my neck with a bandage.

That was where the real problem began.

When I went to see him, I had walked there on my own. But shortly after I got home, the pain in my neck became extremely severe. My right arm also became numb, tingly, and painful.

That night, I couldn’t sleep because of the pain.

By around 1 a.m., my condition had become much worse. I couldn’t even sit up properly, and I couldn’t walk. I was exhausted and in severe pain.

So, at around 2 a.m., I went to one of the well-known hospitals in Yangon.

The doctors examined me and said that I needed to be admitted to the hospital, so I was hospitalized.

On Day 1, they performed X-rays, blood tests, and various other examinations. But they couldn’t do much to relieve my pain. I continued to be in severe pain and kept crying out from the agony.

On Day 2, I had an MRI.

The pain still hadn’t improved even slightly. It was even worse at night. I couldn’t sleep at all throughout the night because I was in constant pain. I couldn’t eat properly either because the pain was so severe.

On Day 3, the MRI results came out and the doctor explained them to us.

He said that my C6–C7 cervical spine area had been affected during the neck manipulation, and that the vertebrae had become compressed or displaced, which was causing the severe pain.

He also said that there was a fluid-filled cyst around the C1–C2 area. He explained that the cyst would need to be removed and that the surgery could either be performed at that hospital or I could go to Thailand for treatment.

After discussing it immediately with my family, we decided to have the surgery in Thailand.

We bought a flight ticket immediately, and the following morning we flew to Thailand.

As soon as we landed, an ambulance took me directly to Phyathai 3 Hospital, where I was brought straight to the Emergency Department.

Once I arrived at the Emergency Department, the Medical Officer responsible for my case came immediately. He examined me and asked questions for about half an hour.

And this was just the Medical Officer—not even the specialist yet. He examined me very thoroughly.

When I told him how severe my pain was, he said something that I will never forget.

He spoke in Thai, and the Myanmar interpreter translated it for me.

He said:

“Now that you have arrived at our hospital and are in our hands, you should tell your brain to forget the word ‘pain.’ We won’t let you be in pain anymore. Give us a little time.”

At first, I wondered whether that was really possible.

Then he told my family members to go and wait in the room, saying:

“We will take care of the patient from here.”

My family went to wait in the room, and I was left with the medical team.

They started giving me medication through IV and injections. Not long afterwards, the pain that I had been suffering from for nearly 10 days had almost completely disappeared.

It was so unbelievable that I actually wanted to ask, “Where did my pain go?”

I was then transferred to my room to rest.

The specialist who was going to perform my surgery was actually off duty that day.

However, when the Medical Officer called and informed him about my case, he came to the hospital within about 30 minutes.

He questioned me very carefully for around 30 minutes.

After that, he asked my family members to come with him to the meeting room.

He explained that the C6–C7 area of my cervical spine had been seriously damaged and that surgery needed to be performed as soon as possible. It was an urgent situation.

My family then asked about the cyst that had been mentioned in Yangon.

They asked whether the cyst would also be removed during the same operation.

The specialist explained that the cyst was not the urgent problem. The most important issue was the C6–C7 injury.

He explained how the surgery would be performed and gave us an approximate estimate of the cost.

He said that if we agreed, the surgery would be performed early the next morning at 5 a.m.

We agreed.

I hadn’t been able to take a proper shower or wash my hair for about 12 days—not even at home or in the hospital in Yangon.

The doctor told me that he would arrange for a team to come and clean me and wash my hair.

I told him that I didn’t think I would be able to get out of bed to shower or wash my hair.

He smiled and said:

“You don’t need to get out of bed. Everything can be done right here on the bed, and you won’t feel any pain.”

About 10 minutes later, two female nurses arrived.

They brought a small basin and a water pump, similar to the equipment used at a hair salon, and set everything up at the head of my bed.

They carefully washed my hair about three times.

I was honestly amazed.

After that, they wiped my entire body with warm water and helped me change into hospital clothes.

Everything was finished within about 20 minutes.

And unbelievably, I didn’t feel any pain at all.

I felt so refreshed and comfortable, almost as if I had taken a proper shower.

Because I hadn’t been able to sleep properly for so long, I immediately fell asleep.

I slept so deeply that I had to be woken up at around 6 p.m. for dinner.

Back in the Yangon hospital, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly even for a single night because of the pain.

But when I woke up, I felt completely fine.

There was absolutely no pain.

At that moment, I honestly felt as though I had arrived at a miracle hospital. I was deeply grateful to them again and again.

For someone who had endured unbearable pain continuously for 12 days, being free from pain was something that simply couldn’t be measured in money.

After dinner, a female doctor came to my room.

She greeted me with “Sawasdee kha” with her hands together.

She explained that she was the anesthesiologist and that she had already reviewed my entire medical history and case.

She asked whether I had ever undergone anesthesia or surgery before and discussed everything with me carefully.

She then told me:

“I will personally take full responsibility for the anesthesia during your surgery tomorrow morning. Please don’t worry.”

She bowed slightly, greeted me politely, and left.

The next morning, at 5 a.m., the medical team arrived.

They prepared me for surgery, changed my clothes, and took me into the operating room.

The surgery finished at around 9:30 a.m.

I was brought back to my room, and by around 11 a.m., I had fully regained consciousness.

The surgeon came back and told me that the surgery had been successful.

He explained that the damaged section had been removed and replaced/reconstructed.

Then he asked me:

“Does it still hurt?”

I almost wanted to answer jokingly:

“What pain?”

Because there was no pain at all—not in the original painful area and not even in the area of my neck where the surgery had been performed.

I was told that I would need to stay in the hospital for five days, return for a follow-up one week later, and then I could go back to Yangon.

Yes, it cost a lot of money.

But considering the result I received, all I can say is:

Worth it. Absolutely, absolutely worth it.

The main message I want to share from my experience is:

Please NEVER let anyone twist or crack your neck.

Many of the patients who end up needing treatment at hospitals are people who have had their necks or backs forcefully twisted or manipulated at hair salons, massage parlors, or similar places.

Please, for your own safety, do not allow anyone to forcibly twist or crack your neck.

I am sharing this not simply as advice, but based on my own personal experience.

Another thing I would like to recommend is that, if you have the financial means and your condition requires specialized treatment, consider seeking treatment abroad where appropriate.

And I also strongly recommend that everyone should have a valid passport ready.

That way, if an emergency happens, you can travel immediately without losing valuable time preparing documents.

I am sharing my experience with everyone purely out of goodwill, hoping that it may help someone avoid going through what I experienced.

Please take care of yourselves and never take neck manipulation lightly.

Kyaw Tun

Temporarily in Bangkok