Oil massage by mother proves fatal for 23-year-old Delhi youth

New Delhi: A soothing rubdown can give you the much-required pain relief but that's not all, it can prove also fatal if administered to a wrong patient or in a wrong way.

Therefore, it is important to know both the possible benefits and health risks of oil massage before receiving or giving one.

In a fatal case of oil massage, a 23-year-old succumbed to an injury he acquired while playing badminton last year in which his mother had given a 30-minute massage, resulting in the formation of a blood clot.

As per a report in TOI, the youth from Delhi injured his left ankle, after which a plaster of Paris slab was placed on it to immobilise the leg.

This led to the formation of a blood clot in his deep veins, casing his death.

A postmortem confirmed that the clot, which was 5X1cm in size, got dislodged from the leg veins and travelled to the pulmonary artery that supplies blood to the lungs, causing instant death, the report added.

“Deep vein thrombosis or presence of a blood clot in the deep veins following an ankle fracture is not uncommon but sudden death of a youth because of the complications arising from it is rare,” said Dr Chittaranjan Behera, who conducted the postmortem on him.

After falling unconscious and unresponsive, the 23-year-old was rushed to AIIMS emergency at 9.30pm on October 31, however, doctors could not revive him despite the best resuscitative efforts.

“Later, it was found that the victim's mother had given him a massage for 30 minutes and he complained of pain in the left calf at around 8.45pm. That left him breathless and he suddenly collapsed. This was because the clot in his leg travelled to the arteries that supply blood to the lungs," Dr Behera explained.

Following the death of the youth, doctors at AIIMS have warned about this.

The youth's death should serve as a warning against massages by amateurs. Using forceful techniques and for prolonged periods in a patient with deep vein thrombosis can lead to fatal complications,” Dr Sudhir Gupta, professor and head of forensic medicine at AIIMS, said.

While massages are often given for general fitness and for treating minor health problems, in the case of the youth, doctors said his mother had massaged the leg to alleviate pain and was unaware of the complications.

The youth's case report has been published in the latest issue of Medico-Legal Journal.