# Turn and Cough **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-and-cough/192976 "2003-08-04T21:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spanky\_McSpankerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@Spanky\_McSpankerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spanky_McSpankerson)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-and-cough/192976/1 "2003-08-04T21:38:42Z")
**D** uring a physical, why does the doctor grap your balls and have you turn and cough? What is he/she feeling for? Then why does he have me say “Oh doctor. Oh yes, doctor.” lol j/k ---
**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:** [August 4, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-and-cough/192976/2 "2003-08-04T22:28:00Z")
If your doctor is grabbing your balls, he/she is hopefully examining you for testicular cancer. No coughing should be involved. If your doctor is ramming a finger up thru the scrotum and into the inguinal canal, then doc says “turn your head and cough” because: a) A cough should raise intra-abdominal pressure enough to allow detection of an inguinal hernia, if it exists, and b) Doc doesn’t want you coughing on his/her head. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-and-cough/192976/3 "2003-08-04T22:37:07Z")
What’s you doctor-patient relationship like? You can ask the doctor questions during a physical - it’s _your_ body after all.