# Can a human actually tear into an abdomen using bare hands?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-human-actually-tear-into-an-abdomen-using-bare-hands/715271>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 18, 2015, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-human-actually-tear-into-an-abdomen-using-bare-hands/715271 "2015-03-18T09:02:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-human-actually-tear-into-an-abdomen-using-bare-hands/715271/41 "2015-03-20T05:50:02Z")

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There was also a case of [Gregg Valentino](http://www.mandatory.com/2013/01/16/10-bodybuilders-who-went-too-far/4) whose arm _exploded_ because the dumbass did too many steroids. There’s a video about it on youtube, but no footage of it actually happening. (I’d link to it, but there are a bunch of really gory medical videos links on the same page, so I’d suggest just looking it up yourself)

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**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-human-actually-tear-into-an-abdomen-using-bare-hands/715271/42 "2015-03-20T11:57:44Z")

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> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> [Yep](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/world/2004-12-08-euro-roundup_x.htm)
> 
> I still say it’s impossible though to physically do it with one’s bare hands. Hell, I don’t even think there are any instances cited of it happening when people were tortured on the rack. Muscle tissue and ligaments torn? Hell yeah. Limbs actually physically separated from the body? No.

Except I’m not talking about a LIMB, I’m talking about a FINGER, a much smaller bit of the human body. Finger joints have smaller muscles and ligaments than, say, an elbow or knee. Catch your forearm in a door and you’ll get hurt but the arm will still be intact. Catch a fingertip in a door, though, you might lose that bit.

That’s why the soccer player lost his finger and not his arm.

> [@](#):
>
> There was also a case of Gregg Valentino whose arm exploded because the dumbass did too many steroids. There’s a video about it on youtube, but no footage of it actually happening. (I’d link to it, but there are a bunch of really gory medical videos links on the same page, so I’d suggest just looking it up yourself)

His arm didn’t explode so much as an infection/abscess suddenly acquired an exit to the outside world. While that might result in dramatic jets of pus and blood his arm did not, actually “explode” in the sense of coming apart. The doofus attempted home surgery, yet another poor decision he made.

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