# What happens when you get winded? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-get-winded/74633 "2001-08-02T14:34:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Royal\_Sampler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Royal\_Sampler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Sampler)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-get-winded/74633/1 "2001-08-02T14:34:00Z")
As in, take a knock to the stomach and then keel over on the ground mouthing to everyone else around you “I can’t breathe!”. Then eventually, of course, the airways open and normal breathing takes over. But why do the lungs appear to close up for around 10-20 seconds when winded? And why do they eventually unblock? ---
**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 2, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-get-winded/74633/2 "2001-08-02T14:54:39Z")
Generally the diaphragm, the muscle that works like a bellows to move air in and out of the lungs, gets temporarily paralyzed. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-get-winded/74633/3 "2001-08-02T15:05:41Z")
Elaborating on **qadgop** ’s answer, the area where one gets struck is called the ‘solar plexus’. It’s a cluster of nerves that radiates outwards from that area, in a vaguely sun-shaped pattern, hence the name. When that area is hit, you basically have a whole cluster of nerves struck, and your diaphragm is temporarily paralyzed. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-get-winded/74633/4 "2001-08-02T15:15:46Z")
Elaborating on **Redukter’s** answer, there isn’t as much muscle mass over the solar plexus as there are over other nerve clusters, so it’s very sensitive (getting poked there with one finger can drop most people, whereas getting socked full-strength on a nerve cluster with muscle over it won’t have much effect). This makes it an easy and popular target. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-get-winded/74633/5 "2001-08-02T15:44:57Z")
Elaborating on **Ethilrist’s** answer, therefore, you should always avoid getting punched in the solar plexus. Of course, getting kicked in the testicles is no fun, either. Hey, why does _that_ hurt so much? ---
**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 2, 2001, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-get-winded/74633/6 "2001-08-02T15:56:07Z")
Elaborating on **Kamandi’s** answer, getting kicked in the testicles stimulates pain fibers that communicate with the nerves in the gut, thereby causing significant nausea, with its associated sweating and transient drop in blood pressure, accentuating the pain. There! Now we have a nice circle elaboration! Figure eights anyone?