Samuel Johnson ended up in a hospital bed after a morning routine gone wrong left him with a trapped nerve. The 21-year-old woke up 45 minutes later than he intended, as detailed by Dexerto.
With only 15 minutes to spare, Johnson skipped his usual morning pace and rushed through his preparations. The injury happened while he was drying his hair with a towel in a hurry.
“I got the towel caught round the back of my head, so I went to pull it off. But instead of pulling it off, the towel got caught, and my head went flying all the way down with the towel,” he told the Daily Star. Johnson said he felt like he had “given himself whiplash” from the incident.
His trip to the hospital came with an awkward admission
Johnson managed to arrive at his job only 10 minutes late, though even small delays at work can draw scrutiny, as seen when a boss called about lateness. He immediately felt significant discomfort that refused to go away as the day progressed, and he eventually needed to head to the hospital for a check-up.
Doctors discovered that he had developed a trapped nerve. “I told the triage nurse I was in a rush this morning, and I dried my hair too aggressively and I was really embarrassed,” he said.
A trapped nerve in the neck, known medically as cervical radiculopathy, results from compression and inflammation of a cervical nerve root, according to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The group notes that a 14-year study in Rochester, Minnesota, recorded an annual incidence of 107.3 cases per 100,000 men and 63.5 per 100,000 women, with cases peaking between the ages of 50 and 54. Most patients recover without surgery, as nonoperative treatment is successful in 75 to 90 percent of cases.
The medical staff gave Johnson painkillers and sent him home, but his condition did not improve overnight. He woke up the next morning unable to move at all, describing his physical state as feeling like a rock.
Published: Nov 12, 2026 06:45 pm