# Non-damaging pain **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974 "2010-08-11T20:35:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/1 "2010-08-11T20:35:37Z")
What would be the most painful thing a person can experience, without causing permanent damage? I don’t mean medical things like a toothache or migraine or childbirth . . . I mean things deliberately done to a person, resulting in immediate pain. Certain torture techniques would qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/2 "2010-08-11T20:40:41Z")
I don’t know about most painful, but [submerging one’s hand in ice water](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_pressor_test) gets very painful very quickly, and is used to measure a person’s pain tolerance. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/3 "2010-08-11T20:45:36Z")
The Gom Jabbar. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/4 "2010-08-11T20:49:10Z")
Pulling teeth without anesthesia or giving small third degree burns. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/5 "2010-08-11T20:53:43Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Pulling teeth without anesthesia Wouldn’t that by definition be permanent damage? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/6 "2010-08-11T21:05:57Z")
Capsaicin (the stuff that makes chillies hot) can cause incredible amounts of pain at high doses, but it doesn’t directly cause any damage. Though it can cause inflammation, which can do permanent damage by closing airways and killing your victim… ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/7 "2010-08-11T21:10:59Z")
The most painful thing I’ve been through that didn’t leave any marks was an EMG, had a bit of a infection based partial paralysis thing going at the time… needles and electricity, gotta love it. Having the anesthesia fade out while in the middle of a root canal running long wasn’t fun either. The cold thing is good too, just hold an ice-cube to see how it feels… it will cause permanent damage in relatively short time tho. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/8 "2010-08-11T21:20:40Z")
I had a test once to see if I needed a root canal. One test was holding ice against my teeth. I assume it was conventional water ice. Another was electric shock to my teeth. I highly recommend either one of these as leave-no-marks torture. Is it safe? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/9 "2010-08-11T21:50:46Z")
The [Active Denial System](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Denial_System) might be a contender. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/10 "2010-08-11T21:53:28Z")
I was reading The Domesday Book by Connie Willis, and the noblewoman/wife character would “box the ears” of the dim-witted and lazy servant. Essentially, she cupped her hand and slammed it down over the girl’s ears. I don’t think it is the actual blow which causes the pain so much as the change of pressure in the ear canal. It seems enough to make someone cry out. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/11 "2010-08-11T21:59:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t know about most painful, but submerging one’s hand in ice water gets very painful very quickly, and is used to measure a person’s pain tolerance. One time at summer camp, we had a contest to see who could hold their hands in cold spring water for the longest. It wasn’t literally icewater, but it was pretty close. The second-place was somewhere around 30 seconds; I lasted for over 10 minutes (10 minutes and 1 second, after which I figured I’d proven my point). To the OP, I’ve heard that rapid alternation of hot and cold temperatures can cause the sensation of extreme burning without any actual damage being done. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/12 "2010-08-11T23:23:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To the OP, I’ve heard that rapid alternation of hot and cold temperatures can cause the sensation of extreme burning without any actual damage being done. The Exploratorium in San Francisco has this very thing as [an exhibit](http://exs.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/hot-and-cold/) and it’s well worth checking out if you’re ever in the area. ---
**Author:** ![Crackrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Crackrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crackrat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/13 "2010-08-11T23:32:38Z")
Incredibly painful things I have experienced with no lasting effect (BDSM/sex-related): Abrupt removal of nipple clamps after about 30 minutes of wear. Small taser/stun-gun to the balls. Stiff wire snapped against the base of the penis. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/14 "2010-08-12T00:55:46Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I had a test once to see if I needed a root canal. One test was holding ice against my teeth. I assume it was conventional water ice. Another was electric shock to my teeth. I highly recommend either one of these as leave-no-marks torture. > > Is it safe? In my case, the bitch sprayed canned air on my tooth. We both felt the pain on that one. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/15 "2010-08-12T08:59:36Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I had a test once to see if I needed a root canal. One test was holding ice against my teeth. I assume it was conventional water ice. Another was electric shock to my teeth. I highly recommend either one of these as leave-no-marks torture. > > Is it safe? Adding cold to my mouth would get someone punched out in very short order … I have extremely cold sensitive teeth, and always have. I have _never_ been able to understand how people can chew ice/ice cream. My dental hygenist has to warm the water used to rinse my mouth with or I have extreme pain and refuse to let her near my mouth. Air is right out. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/16 "2010-08-12T11:07:20Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > I was reading The Domesday Book by Connie Willis, and the noblewoman/wife character would “box the ears” of the dim-witted and lazy servant. Essentially, she cupped her hand and slammed it down over the girl’s ears. I don’t think it is the actual blow which causes the pain so much as the change of pressure in the ear canal. It seems enough to make someone cry out. That is reputably extremely painful but it can also be damaging. I saw documentary years back about bullying in the British army, and in it a victim of this manoeuvre was hospitalised with a ruptured eardrum. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/17 "2010-08-12T12:18:04Z")
Mythbusters visited an honest-to-Og pain laboratory in one episode. As I recall, there were three non-damaging pain techniques demonstrated, though I can only remember the hand-in-ice-water one and injecting capsaicin under the skin. Though the researchers probably didn’t choose these for maximum painfulness, but rather consistency and ease of applying. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/18 "2010-08-12T12:46:52Z")
oops, should read the OP. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/19 "2010-08-12T12:48:58Z")
Pain labs also use heat and electric shock. But you can’t scale up the heat or ice water without risking permanent damage. You can crank up the electric shock as much (or as little) as you want. Capsaicin, similarly, can be very mild or very intense, depending on the dosage and the delivery. An ordinary jalepeno has enough capsaicin to produce mild burning on the tongue, but won’t do anything through your skin. It will hurt like a motherfucker if you get any in your eye though… Capsaicin is also the active ingredient in pepper spray. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/20 "2010-08-12T16:53:49Z")
How about aluminum foil with silver fillings? 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974.md?page=2)