CMAT

As workplace injuries go, fracturing your neck on-stage while rocking out in to a crowd of thousands of fans is a pretty unusual one.

But That 's What Happened to singer Cmat , real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson.

What's even more surprising about her injury is That she didn't realise she'd done it. At least not straight away.

It was only when her larynx collapsed - causing her to lose her Voice - That The Problem became obvious.

Cmat - who won the Ireland's Choice Music Prize for Best Album of the Year - spoke to BBC Newsbeat as she prepared for her first gig since.

She was in The Middle of her last tour when she injured her neck.

" I didn't know I fractured my neck from rocking out, " she says.

" I was just throwing my head in a circle, head banging and stuff. And I fractured my neck. "

Cmat says she continued to play live, and kept head banging on-stage.

" Over The Course of the entire tour, I was just fracturing it little by little, " she says.

Eventually, she couldn't ignore it.

" My larynx collapsed" she says.

" It twisted and My Voice box wasn't closing together, so I lost My Voice for a month. "

In an Instagram post at The Time , Cmat told fans it had " rotated and has slightly collapsed on one side".

Or, as she also put it, her larynx was " in its flop era".

Vocal physiotherapist Nikki Franklin says it's not That unusual for singers to get injuries to their vocal organs.

" We do see this kind of repetitive strain and injury with performance, " she says.

Nikki says performers doing " something quite unique for numerous shows throughout the Year on repeat" can take its toll.

But she admits That Cmat 's injuries are " pretty unique".

" It sounds quite extreme doesn't it? " she says.

" Singers are athletes in That small area of their neck, throat and Voice box.

" We see them using their bodies in different ways and putting a lot of strain on That area. "

Nikki says this can gradually lead to build-ups of tension and micro trauma until it ends with " something That breaks the camel's back"

" Or, in this case, a singer's neck. "

Cmat , who only cancelled two shows before getting back to her day job, says she's " all healed" now.

She says a vocal coach " reinvigorated" her Voice through a programme of physio and Voice coaching.

But will she be doing anything differently now she's back On Stage ?

" I've cut my hair shorter. So hopefully That should help, " she says.

" But I'll probably be Out There rocking out tonight. "

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Source of news: bbc.com