# Passing out from pain? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242 "2008-04-28T17:30:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/1 "2008-04-28T17:30:32Z")
Outside of stories do people really pass out from pain? Is this something everyone can have happen or are only some people subject to it? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/2 "2008-04-28T17:35:12Z")
It happened to me once. It was a very sudden so there was no ‘ramping up’ to the pain. I think that probably contributited to my passing out. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/3 "2008-04-28T17:38:29Z")
Yes, people do pass out from pain. When my back went into spasm, the rescue squad was attempting to lift me onto the gurney so as to get me to the hospital. And it hurt so badly that I started to gray out. So the dummies _put me back down_. So they gave me as much morphine as they were allowed, gave me a roll of gauze to bite on, and I said, “Let’s just do this. Don’t. Stop.” Maybe it was the morphine, but I did not pass out that time. Unfortunately. But yes, it happens. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/4 "2008-04-28T17:59:19Z")
I had a knee injury a while back and on the first morning, when I hadn’t figured out the best way to get around, I stepped down on it the wrong way. I didn’t actually faint, but it was the closest I’ve ever come. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/5 "2008-04-28T18:19:23Z")
I’ve done it - just a couple hours post-op from outpatient knee surgery. The hospital staff apparently didn’t know the scope of the operation had been changed from a minor nip and tuck to some deeper remodeling. They thought I’d be ambulatory enough to hop off the gurney and onto a Barcalounger in the outpatient recover lounge. I wasn’t. As soon as I put weight on that leg, it was “puke and pass out” time. (They’d given me some water and/or OJ post-op) Not fun. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/6 "2008-04-28T18:23:04Z")
One time I was running up some wooden stairs and I tripped, and caught myself in the shin with one of the stair treads. The unexpectedness of hitting such a sensitive place so hard (I didn’t break it) was enough for me to lose my breath for a second and fall to a heap at the top of the stairs. I did indeed “see stars” even. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/7 "2008-04-28T18:50:32Z")
I broke my back, and when the paramedics rolled me to put me on the backboard the pain was so bad I passed out in a couple of seconds. Didn’t wake up for 11 days, but that wasn’t related to the passing out. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/8 "2008-04-28T21:50:07Z")
There seems to be a number of mentions of changes in position shortly before the faint. Maybe mine was triggered by a drop in blood pressure as well as pain. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/9 "2008-04-28T22:15:56Z")
I suffer from vaso-vagal syncope and a common trigger for me it when I hurt myself and I’m in a lot of pain. When a trigger happens blood pools in my legs and I faint dead away. After 15-20 seconds I wake up on the ground. So for those of us that suffer from VVS it’s a very real and common situation. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/10 "2008-04-28T22:21:24Z")
I once spent an entire night alone, with a ruptured appendix. It was the most intense and prolonged pain I’ve ever experienced, and I know I passed out several times. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/11 "2008-04-28T23:45:52Z")
As alluded to by **dolphinboy** , it’s the vaso-vagal reflex. [Reflex syncope - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope) Intense pain is one of the things that can stimulate it. It results in a drop in blood pressure with near syncope or actual syncope (loss of consciousness) being common. Everyone’s threshold and triggers for a vaso-vagal episode are different, and may vary from day to day in a given individual too. I see it a lot at work. It ain’t pretty but it is impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/12 "2008-04-29T03:36:48Z")
Ruptured Pancreas did it for me. ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/13 "2008-04-29T05:32:27Z")
Internal bleeding from a hemorrhaging ovarian cyst did it twice for me. I lost so much blood to my inner cavities that I had to get a transfusion. It was neither a fun nor happy time. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/14 "2008-04-29T06:02:42Z")
I was once with someone whose finger broke, and the pain caused her to pass out. And lose bladder control, rather embarrasingly. She woke up again within a few seconds, though. The Doctor told us a simplified (and probably now remembered inaccurately) explanation - blood rushed to the area of pain and away from the brain, causing fainting; perfectly common and nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/15 "2008-04-29T06:30:23Z")
Slipped on ice (how glamorous!). Woke up a little later. Seems I nailed one of those legendary ninja-kill-you-instantly points near my knee. Was on crutches for days. And I _never_ cry; but this hurt so bad, I cried. After I woke up. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/16 "2008-04-29T11:10:52Z")
I tried to catch a basket ball and had my fingers “staved” as the PE teacher put it. The ball hit my fingers end on, my vision went all grey and then I fainted. I’ve almost fainted when a nurse was treating an ingrown toenail. The little metal instrument she was using probed my toe a little too much and even though it was only a very slight pain, I still went all grey and nearly passed out walking down the stairs. Having Dad try and poke a dead insect out of my eye almost did it for me too. Wasn’t painful at all, just an odd feeling, but it still had me almost fainting. Can’t say what links all those feelings to fainting, but I know I’m not an adrenaline junkie, I’ve something of a nervous disposition to such things. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/17 "2008-04-29T12:52:38Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] As alluded to by **dolphinboy** , it’s the vaso-vagal reflex. [Reflex syncope - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope) [/QUOTE] **QtM’s** link also confirms that you can pass out from seeing other people’s pain. This happened to me once when I was scorekeeper at a junior high basketball game. Two boys fell awkwardly right next to me and one of them clearly broke his arm. He laid there in terrible pain for quite a while. I eventually had to lay my head down on the scorer’s table. I just figured I was a wuss. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/18 "2008-04-29T16:17:47Z")
My first kidney stone did it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/19 "2008-04-29T17:04:43Z")
I’ve had sudden hand injuries twice, both of which made my vision tunnel down to pinpoints and left me unable to stand or walk for about a half hour. What’s weird is that the pain wasn’t the worst I’ve had either time, but there was something about the suddenness of it and the ohmygodMYHANDness of it that made me lose it each time. And not that it matters, but: 1. My dog’s leash was wrapped around my wrist when she charged to greet another dog, bashing my knuckles into a wooden fence post. 2. Shucking oysters, the knife slipped and plunged through the heart line on my palm. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242/20 "2008-04-29T17:07:14Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] As alluded to by **dolphinboy** , it’s the vaso-vagal reflex. [Reflex syncope - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope) [/QUOTE] This used to happen with my period cramps almost monthly. It was as though as soon as the pain hit this specific spot on my abdomen, I’d pass out. I got better at feeling it coming and usually managed to sit down before it hit, but it was really bad. My kidney stone affected me the same way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/447242.md?page=2)