At a Glance
- Haleigh Caruso, wife of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso, revealed a second vertebral artery tear after believing she had healed from a November mini-stroke
- Follow-up scans showed the original left artery healed, but the right artery now shows a new tear
- She must resume bed rest and undergo genetic testing to determine underlying causes
- Why it matters: The rare case of back-to-back dissected arteries raises questions about hidden health risks for young, active adults
Haleigh Caruso, whose husband Alex Caruso plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, believed her health crisis was ending when she shared an upbeat TikTok update in November. Instead, a January scan delivered sobering news: a second vertebral artery has torn, forcing her back to strict bed rest and into genetic testing to hunt for an underlying cause.
November mini-stroke diagnosis
In a Nov. 5 video to her 51,400 TikTok followers, Haleigh explained that headaches and vision problems had sent her to the doctor. An MRI and CT scan confirmed a transient ischemic attack-commonly called a mini-stroke-triggered by a dissected left vertebral artery. Physicians ordered immediate bed rest and a halt to all physical activity.
> “The bad news is this is really serious, and it is a scary situation,” she said. “The good news is that this is something that once it heals, it’s not something I’m gonna ever have to worry about again.”
She told viewers the injury may have been caused by a Theragun used during a massage.
Setback after two months
By early January Haleigh had been cleared to resume light workouts. While riding a stationary bike and walking her dog, the headaches returned. Follow-up imaging was rushed forward; the results came back weeks later.
On January 8 she posted a new clip captioned, “Long story short, we got news, and it’s not good news.”
- The initial left artery showed proper healing
- The right vertebral artery now displayed a fresh tear
- Doctors labeled the repeat event extremely rare
> “Because one dissected artery is very, very rare. Two-something weird is going on now,” she told viewers.
Next steps and uncertainty
Haleigh is back on full bed rest and has canceled planned vacations while leaning on Alex for daily support. Genetic testing has been scheduled to search for connective-tissue disorders or other predisposing factors.
She hopes both arteries were damaged during the same massage session, with the second tear simply taking longer to manifest. Final answers will have to wait until the genetic panel returns.
> “We won’t know anything until I get this genetic testing done, and so I will update you guys as I know more,” she said.
Key Takeaways
- A single vertebral artery dissection is uncommon; experiencing a second months later is highly unusual
- Haleigh’s case highlights the importance of follow-up imaging even after symptoms subside
- Genetic screening may reveal hidden risk factors for spontaneous artery tears in young, healthy adults
