The next time you plan on rocking out and doing some headbanging, German researchers say you might want to keep this rare case in mind.
According to recently published research in The Lancet, scientists studied the case of a 50-year-old man who complained of a worsening two-week-long headache that just wouldn't go away.
Upon investigating, doctors found the man suffered from a subdural hematoma, or blood clot in his brain. As to how he got that? Well, headbanging at a Motorhead concert four weeks earlier, the doctors said.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine says common causes of the subdural hematoma are long-term alcohol abuse, head injuries and frequent falling. Not surprisingly, headbanging didn't make the list.
"So if you're comparing concert battle scars with other music fans, and they show you, let's say, a serious gash they got from a mosh pit, you can say, 'well, do you have a really sick headache?'" (Via KGW-TV)
"One of the doctors says he isn't against headbanging, but if the man had gone to a classical concert, his injuries would not have occurred." (Via WZZM)
Surgeons removed the blood clot from the man's brain and released him from the hospital six days later. CBC notes, as many other news outlets have, that this reported injury is extremely rare.
It's so rare, the BBC reports headbanging has been tied to bleeding in the brain in just three other cases.
So, no, you probably don't need to quit headbanging altogether. Instead, a writer for Time says you should simply "headbang with care."
