# can you hurt yourself sneezing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 21, 2002, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198 "2002-12-21T07:32:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![c4madcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@c4madcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c4madcat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/1 "2002-12-21T07:32:39Z")
i sneezed and felt something bad happen in the vicinity of where the ribs join the spine. it still hurts days later. what the heck? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/2 "2002-12-21T08:01:34Z")
You can certainly strain muscles in your torso with a powerful sneeze, and [this page](http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_ribinjur_sma.htm) describes a rib injury known as a “costochondral separation” that can occur during sneezing. If it persists, I’d seek medical attention, including chest X-rays. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/3 "2002-12-21T08:02:52Z")
On closer read, the costochondral separation occurs when the ribs seperate from the breastbone, not the spine, but I’d still get checked out. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/4 "2002-12-22T01:26:00Z")
Mrs Sunstone, who is an RN, tells me that it is possible to fracture a rib while sneezing or coughing, especially in the elderly. It also seems that it is possible to pull intercostal muscles, which are used to elevate and lower the rib cage during breathing. And of course, the intercostals are the meat found on spareribs. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/5 "2002-12-22T02:13:42Z")
…mmmmmm…intercostals… ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/6 "2002-12-22T03:01:49Z")
I have, indeed, broken my rib from coughing. I had bronchitis one winter and felt an actual snapping in my chest. The doctor I went to see said it was one of the small, lower, cartilage-y ribs (“The kind people like Cher have removed to look skinnier!”) not one of the actual bone ribs. It hurt like hell and I was working at the Sears Portrait Studio at the time (which was hellish enough) and had to constantly lift kids on and off a table all day. The bad news is there’s no way for them to put it in a cast or anything, so you sorta have to tough it out while it heals; the good news is that to get it to heal you have to stop coughing, and in order for that to happen the doctor gave me antibiotics and CODINE!!! So, it didn’t really hurt so bad after all, lol. ---
**Author:** ![MrK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrK)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/7 "2002-12-22T03:04:12Z")
The teacher across the hall from me says she once cracked a rib trying to hold in a sneeze. She now lets it all hang out. Her first sneeze of each school year scares the pants off her new students and causes my student to laugh remembering their shock at the explosion. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/8 "2002-12-22T03:05:10Z")
I remember one of my teachers knocked himself out cold when he hit his head on the corner of a wardrobe when he sneezed. ---
**Author:** ![jacksen9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/9 "2002-12-22T03:05:28Z")
It was about this time last year when I injured myself sneezing. I had an extremely sharp pain that started between my shoulder blades and shot down the left arm. My arm and two fingers went numb. My index finger is still numb. I went to the doctor and he told me I probably had nerve damage and that it may or may not get better. So far, it has improved… but only slightly. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-hurt-yourself-sneezing/144198/10 "2002-12-22T03:12:14Z")
I threw my back out sneezing - does that count? It was actually spasm of the lower back, but it hurt like blazes. Regards, Shodan