I almost died after turning head too fast playing pickleball

January 11, 2023

His life took a deadly turn for the worse.

A “super-fit” dad is lucky to be alive after tearing a neck artery and suffering three strokes all because he turned his head “too quickly.”

“I was in complete shock and disbelief,” Joel Hentrich, 35, told SWNS of the freak accident. “You don’t think that these things will actually happen to you.”

The fiasco occurred Nov. 23, 2022 while the native of Festus, Missouri, and his pals were playing pickleball, a racket sport that’s similar to tennis but with smaller paddles.

“I went out there that day and was just playing a regular game, nothing strenuous,” said the father of four and registered nurse, who played several times per week after taking up the hobby a few years ago.

Things turned disastrous, however, when Hentrich turned his head “quickly to the left to try and track a ball. I felt a pop in the back of my neck,” the alarmed pickleballer described. “I wasn’t sure if anyone else could hear it — but internally I could.”

Joel Hentrich with his brother Zachary after winning a pickleball tournament.

Joel Hentrich with his son Elijah Hentrich, 3.

Hentrich (right) had been playing pickleball for several years at that point.

"My world was spinning, literally and figuratively but I trusted my instincts as all the different signs together pointed to something pretty serious," Hentrich said while describing the awful symptoms. — “My world was spinning, literally and figuratively, but I trusted my instincts as all the different signs together pointed to something pretty serious,” Hentrich said while describing the awful symptoms.

"The doctor told me that I'd suffered three strokes in my lower cerebellum, the bottom part of your brain responsible for coordination and movement," Hentrich said. — “The doctor told me that I’d suffered three strokes in my lower cerebellum, the bottom part of your brain responsible for coordination and movement,” Hentrich said.

That’s when the Missourian was beset by a “whirlwind” of scary symptoms. “Immediately my vision changed, and I had the worst vertigo I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Hentrich recalled. “About two minutes after it happened, I was having to be helped over to the bench with support because I couldn’t stand on my own at all.”

He added, “The ground went out from underneath me, and I ended up with extreme nausea and I was projectile vomiting. There was tingling on the left side of my face, hand and part of my leg.”

Fearing the worst, the sportsman was transported to the hospital. Hentrich was initially directed to the waiting room, where 50 to 60 visitors were in line before him.

However, the petrified patient alerted another nurse, who immediately activated their protocol for suspected stroke victims and took him in for a CT scan 20 minutes later. He was later sent to intensive care and then for an MRI.

"I was in complete shock and disbelief," said Hentrich about learning of the extent of his injuries. "But eventually how significant and serious this accident was for me started sinking in." — “I was in complete shock and disbelief,” said Hentrich about learning of the extent of his injuries. “But eventually how significant and serious this accident was for me started sinking in.”

Hentrich had felt a popping sensation after turning his neck too quickly.

Hentrich with his oldest daughter Madelynee, 8. — Hentrich with his oldest daughter Madelynne, 8.

That’s when medics informed him of the horrific news: Hentrich had dissected his artery, which triggered three strokes in his lower cerebellum, the portion of the brain responsible for coordination and movement.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” recounted the patient. “As a 35-year-old healthy guy, those are words that you just never expect to hear.”

He added, “Eventually how significant and serious this accident was for me started sinking in.”

It’s still unclear how such a seemingly minor moment turned so disastrous for Hentrich, who said he had turned his head like that “a million times.” However, he recalled feeling a sensation like a pinched nerve a week prior, but it went away shortly thereafter.

Hentrich was initially told to go in the waiting room behind 50-60 other patients. — Hentrich was initially told to go in the waiting room behind 50 to 60 other patients.

"I was in the hospital and didn't even know if I could walk." lamented Hentrich. — “I was in the hospital and didn’t even know if I could walk,” said Hentrich.

Either way, the accident left Hentrich worrying that he would never walk again, or suffer other physical deficits. In order to test his locomotion, nurses told him to walk to the bathroom — which he was thankfully able to do.

“I felt a little dizzy walking, but that’s to be expected as I’d been laying in bed for two days,” Hentrich said. “It was just such a wonderful feeling, because I didn’t really know until that point in time what the outcome was truly going to be.”

He added, “It was a special moment to be able to get up and realize that I could still walk, balance and live my life how I did before this.”

Despite the horrific accident, Hentrich vowed to never give up pickleball. "I'll be returning to pickle ball. I'm going to be patient," he said. "I may have hit the ball around back and forth already but my doctor said don't go full force obviously and do anything strenuous." — Despite the horrific accident, Hentrich vowed to never give up pickleball. “I’ll be returning to pickleball. I’m going to be patient,” he said. “I may have hit the ball around back and forth already, but my doctor said don’t go full force obviously and do anything strenuous.”

Hentrich playing pickleball with friend Brad Cannito.

The patient was discharged 12 hours later after being in the hospital for a total of two days. Unfortunately, at that point, he was still several weeks away from qualifying for short-term disability payments.

Thankfully, a pickleball pal set up a GoFundMe page to help ease Hentrich’s financial strain while he recovers from the traumatic ordeal. The fund-raiser has currently garnered over half of its $6,000 goal.

Ultimately, Hentrich said he’s just “grateful” to be alive. “Had that second nurse not taken me seriously and left me out there to wait, I have no doubt that I’d at minimum have permanent disabilities of some sort, balance and coordination wise,” the racket-sport enthusiast exclaimed. “I don’t know if I could have died too.”

"I'm extremely lucky that I got treatment in the time that I did because I don't have any lasting physical deficits," said a relieved Hentrich. — “I’m extremely lucky that I got treatment in the time that I did, because I don’t have any lasting physical deficits,” said a relieved Hentrich.

In light of his horrific saga, Hentrich is striving to raise awareness regarding stroke symptoms and the importance of seeking medical care immediately. “With strokes, the main thing I’d tell everybody is that there’s a window of time you need to give treatments, usually three hours is the standard, but the sooner the better,” he said. “Trust your instincts. If you think you should go and get seen, trust that. It might not be something serious, but what if it is?”

Hentrich even plans to continue playing pickleball — albeit with a little less intensity.