When you think of an accident that would cause your intestines to jump out of your body, you might think of a horrific stab wound or a horrific car accident. You probably can’t imagine that something as common and harmless as a sneeze could cause such a horrific injury. But it’s What happened to a Florida man earlier this month.
The man had recently had abdominal surgery. Wound dehiscenceThe scars from the surgery had not yet healed properly. While eating breakfast, the man first sneezed and then began coughing. He felt a pain and wetness in his lower abdomen, and realized that several rings of his intestine had burst through the unhealed wounds.
The man was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, where his intestines were returned to his abdomen.
Sneezing is usually a defense mechanism to clear potentially harmful particles such as dust, bacteria, and viruses from the respiratory system. This process is called “Sneeze Center” It is found in the brain’s medulla (which controls autonomic nervous functions, including breathing). It is activated when an irritant is present in the inner layer of the medulla. Nose and airwayssending an impulse to the center.
In response, your eyes, throat, and mouth close, your chest muscles contract, and your lungs compress to expel air from your respiratory system—allowing whatever caused the reaction to be “pushed” out of your body with incredible speed.Maximum 15.9m/s (35 miles per hour).
But despite the benefits of a good sneeze, it can also carry a greater risk of injury than many people realize.
for example, Intense sneezing Can cause lung herniation Intercostal muscles between the ribs— is usually a weak spot. This is usually Morbid obesity, Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseasediabetes or smoking.
In some cases, sneezing occurs Tearing delicate tissue This occurs when high-pressure air deep in the lungs escapes into the space between the chest and the lungs, compressing the lungs on one or both sides of the chest.
It’s not just the lungs that can rupture. There have been reports of lung ruptures. The delicate lining of the brain caused by sneezing-the result subarachnoid hemorrhage (a type of stroke) can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated promptly.
Even if this delicate lining doesn’t rupture, sneezing can still affect the brain, and there have been reports of people suffering brain damage. Weakness on one side of the body or Visual impairment After a sneeze.
Sneezing can increase blood pressure and cause other serious damage to blood vessels. Aortic dissection caused by sneezingThis is a condition in which the force of a sneeze tears the layers of the aorta (the main artery that carries oxygenated blood around the body), causing blood to burst between the layers. If left untreated, 50 percent mortality rate Within 48 hours of occurrence.
While hurting your back when sneezing is common, this is not the only type of injury to the musculoskeletal system: there are also case reports of people breaking their backs. Bones around the eyes Sneezing fracture. This type of fracture is Blowout fractureIt is typically caused by blunt trauma, often from a golf ball, tennis ball, or baseball. In eye.
of Small bones of the ear Sneezing can break bones and cause hearing loss. Dental implants are Other parts of the face From a strong sneeze.
The increased pressure caused by sneezing can cause fluids to leak from the body, especially urine from the bladder. This is common in people with weak pelvic floor muscles. The main causes of weak pelvic floor muscles are: pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, menopauseand physical Trauma or nerve damage.
Don’t hold back
Considering all the injuries a sneeze can cause, you might think it’s best to just hold it in.
But even that isn’t safe. In 2023, a Scottish man tried to hold back a sneeze by closing his mouth and holding his nose. Rip the tracheaWhen the airway becomes blocked, the pressure created by the sneeze builds up in the respiratory system, sometimes causing 20 times the pressure It’s usually found in the respiratory system, but this energy needs to go somewhere, so it’s usually absorbed by tissues.
Others Facial bones were broken Hold back a sneeze, Damage to the larynx (voice box) and tearing of tissue The chest contains tissues that protect the lungs.
Thankfully, there is one injury that can never occur from sneezing. Have you ever heard that if you sneeze with your eyes open, they will pop out? Thankfully, that’s a myth. This is because the eyes are held in place by muscles and nerves. Not to mention, the airways of the respiratory system are not connected to the eyeballs or eye sockets.
Our bodies are so well adapted to sneezing that you probably won’t need to worry about injury, as many of these harms only occur in very rare circumstances. But if you’re like Donna Griffiths (the person with the longest sneezing fit on record), Stuffy nose for 976 days) and Yi Yang (the person with the loudest recorded sneeze at 176 decibels, the equivalent of a rocket taking off), there may be a greater risk of harm.
Adam TaylorProfessor and Director, Clinical Anatomy Learning Center Lancaster UniversityThis article conversation Published under a Creative Commons license. Original Article.
