For months, the biggest uncertainty in Haleigh Caruso’s recovery wasn’t the pain. It was the unknown.

Waiting on genetic test results meant doctors couldn’t determine whether the problem would keep returning. Now, that question finally has an answer after the wife of former Lakers guard Alex Caruso shared a new medical update. “I’m not a carrier for any of those, which was honestly such a relief to me.”

“So the vertebral artery dissections were then considered a direct effect of the massage that I got with the massage gun. I’m on my blood thinners, and we are going to wait for a couple more months before we do a scan again and do anything at all.”

The 29-year-old previously suffered a mini-stroke in October 2025 after a vertebral artery dissection. A follow-up evaluation later revealed a second artery tear, prompting doctors to test for connective tissue disorders. Those markers came back negative, shifting the focus from chronic condition to injury recovery.

Because of that, her treatment path changed. Rather than surgery, specialists recommended monitoring, medication, and gradual activity. She has been cleared for cardio and light skiing, although walks longer than 45 minutes still trigger shortness of breath.

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Haleigh Caruso shares concerning issues from her recent visits to the arena

Even with reassuring test results, normal environments remain unpredictable. Haleigh explained that attending basketball games has produced immediate symptoms despite otherwise steady progress. “I can feel immediately my blood literally pulsing in the back of my head whenever I push it too far.”

“[The neurosurgeon] said just kind of listen to my body, make sure I’m paying attention to what I’m doing and how I’m feeling. I don’t know if it’s how loud everything is. I don’t know if it’s the lights. I don’t know if it’s the atmosphere. I don’t know if I just get more anxious than I realize, but the last few games I’ve gone to, I have gotten the most piercing, pulsing headache at the base of my neck.”

Those reactions matter because arenas combine constant noise, bright lighting, and emotional spikes. In contrast to controlled rehab settings, that environment tests neurological recovery in real time. Meanwhile, doctors advised her to treat symptoms as limits rather than push through them. The guidance is simple but strict: stop when the body signals strain.

Haleigh and Alex married in August 2025 after meeting at Texas A&M and keeping their relationship private until 2022. She previously appeared on Big Brother in 2018 and completed her PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology in 2025.

Throughout his NBA career with the Lakers, Bulls, and Thunder, she has regularly attended games. That consistency is what makes the arena headaches notable. The same place tied to routine support now doubles as a recovery challenge.

Because the injury was linked to physical trauma rather than genetic weakness, expectations changed. Instead of managing a lifelong vascular disorder, doctors now expect gradual healing with monitoring and time.

The next step is another scan scheduled in the coming months. That evaluation determines whether blood thinners can stop and whether normal activity fully returns. For now, progress exists but conditions apply. Recovery isn’t about avoiding movement anymore. It’s about recognizing thresholds.

If symptoms fade over time, the situation becomes a resolved injury. If they persist, daily environments like arenas may remain limited longer than anticipated. Either way, the uncertainty that defined the past few months is gone. The diagnosis has shifted from mystery to management, and the timeline finally has direction.