Woman claims salon visit gave her a stroke

After suffering a stroke, a California woman is suing her hair salon.

Elizabeth Smith told KGTV doctors say she likely suffers from something called "beauty parlor stroke syndrome."

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It can happen when you tilt your head backward in a shampoo chair. If the neck is hyper-extended, a vertebra can slice an artery, leading to a blood clot that can eventually cause a stroke.

Smith had a stroke about a week after going to a beauty salon. Two years later, she still has problems with her strength, balance and vision, as well as a life-threatening clot in her brain.

Some salons have reclining chairs or adjustable sinks to help take the strain off of a customer's neck.

Many doctors recommend that older people with arthritis don't have their hair washed like this.

Everyone else should avoid learning back more than 15 to 20 degrees or just have their hair washed face-down.

Related: Learn more about stroke risk facts and symptoms: