Overview

• Hayley Black, 36, says a morning yawn displaced C6–C7 into her spinal cord, triggering an electric shock sensation and paralysis on her right side.
• Initial scans reportedly showed nothing before further tests identified spinal cord compression from the displaced cervical elements.
• Surgeons warned of roughly a 50/50 chance of survival or walking before emergency surgery restored function, according to her account.
• She spent months in a wheelchair, now takes daily medication for permanent nerve damage, and says she later developed fibromyalgia.
• Black, who lives in Milton Keynes, shared the account on TikTok with the caption “I broke my neck yawning” and calls for self-advocacy and awareness of hidden disabilities.