Doctors Issue A Warning After This Man Tore His Throat While Trying To Stop A Sneeze
We’ve all been there…
We are out in public — or somewhere where silence is a must — and we feel the urge to sneeze.
It’s coming, and there isn’t much we can do about it, so we cover our noses to try and block the inevitable “ACHOOOO!”
Turns out, however, we should really be more careful, and just let the sneeze happen.
One man can tell us first-hand that trying to stifle the sweet relief of a sneeze is something we really shouldn’t do.
He actually tore his throat while trying to block a sneezing fit, and doctors are warning that we might suffer the same fate if we don’t just let that sneeze fly.
This poor guy from the UK suffers from seasonal allergies — who doesn’t, right?!?
He was driving down the road, and suffered a sneeze attack.
Not giving it a second thought, he pinched his nose and closed his mouth, trying to stop the inevitable.
In this case, it was a horrible snap decision.
He immediately regretted his decision as he felt a searing pain in his neck.
The guy knew something was seriously wrong, and he ended up being taken to the hospital.
Doctors performed an X-ray and a CT scan as part of their routine workup on the guy.
These scans showed that the man suffered a tear in his trachea just from trying not to sneeze!
Ouch! He tore his dang windpipe!
Doctors are warning: Just let that sneeze happen.
Pressure can build up behind that sneeze, and bad things can happen if we don’t release it.
Normally, the pressure in the upper airways during sneezing is 1–2 kPa; however, if the mouth and nose are closed, the pressure may increase by up to 20 times.
BMJ Journals
My kids will be the first to tell you, don’t try to cover your face when you sneeze.
You should sneeze into your elbow to block the germs from jumping onto your neighbor.
Although this could have been a life-threatening emergency, the man was treated in the hospital and released 48 hours later.
After being warned against physical activity for 2 weeks, and being treated with allergy medications, the tear healed up all on its own.
