# What is a physician feeling for with "turn your head and cough"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927 "2016-07-14T21:46:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/21 "2016-07-15T18:37:36Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > A check for inguinal hernias is something I’ve done tens of thousands of times. Wow, you’d think by now the doctor would be sure that you don’t have one. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/22 "2016-07-15T18:40:18Z")
Back to my question. What exactly is the doctor feeling for when you cough? ---
**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:** [July 15, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/23 "2016-07-15T18:45:42Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Back to my question. > > What exactly is the doctor feeling for when you cough? Movement of the intestine from the abdominal cavity down into the inguinal canal or scrotum. Or evidence of weakness in the barrier between the abdomen and pelvis. Coughing causes an increase in abdominal pressure, which pushes contents down towards the scrotum. If you can feel the intestines when doing the hernia check, it’s a hernia. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/24 "2016-07-15T18:53:06Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > [Peritoneal](http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/peritoneum)? Get a grip, man. :dubious: Please do not taint the thread w/ over-long medical words. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/25 "2016-07-15T18:56:06Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > [Peritoneal](http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/peritoneum)? Get a grip, man. :dubious: Hmm…hernias and peritoneum are linked medically, no? And more broadly–correct me if I’m wrong (as you always are invited)–isn’t “peritoneum” often used for that tract between asshole and base of penis? Or asshole and vagina? (Which has a poetic name in Japanese slang, which I was told and can’t remember. But I digress.) Ok, last time: scrotum&taint :); s&t&razor ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/26 "2016-07-15T19:18:47Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Similar to the way we learned DREs, in the SOCM course, we learned by practicing on each other. None of us actually had hernias, but I guess the idea is that once you feel a hundred or so normal patients, you will know what abnormal feels like. > > The class is filled with nothing but Navy Seal and MARSOC Corpsmen, Ranger Medics, Green Berets trainees and Air Force PJs, so you can imagine the fuckery that goes on. My first practice exam was on a Navy guy who dropped his pants to reveal these: [url=[http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1939066654/women-sexy-mature-thong-pant-font-b-underwear-b-font-g-string-bra-and-g-string.jpg](http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1939066654/women-sexy-mature-thong-pant-font-b-underwear-b-font-g-string-bra-and-g-string.jpg)]SFW[/]… It just took me 10 minutes, and for a sec I thought I was misremembering, but: On deck in active duty: [http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/airman.asp](http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/airman.asp) (SFW) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/27 "2016-07-15T19:37:42Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Back to my question. > > What exactly is the doctor feeling for when you cough? [The Wikipedia page for “inguinal hernia”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inguinal_hernia) is instructive. The top diagram illustrates the protrusion of the small intestine into the scrotum, which becomes more pronounced when intra-abdominal pressure is increased (as when coughing, or when straining on the toilet). ---
**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:** [July 15, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/28 "2016-07-15T19:38:50Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Hmm…hernias and peritoneum are linked medically, no? only very indirectly > [@](#): > > And more broadly–correct me if I’m wrong (as you always are invited)–isn’t “peritoneum” often used for that tract between asshole and base of penis? Or asshole and vagina? That’s the perineum. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/29 "2016-07-15T19:48:38Z")
:smack: :smack: :smack: Plus :o ---
**Author:** ![Pilgrim\_Shadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Pilgrim\_Shadow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pilgrim_Shadow)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/30 "2017-05-21T08:34:56Z")
…Streetfighter, Night Rider, David Hassellhoff/ She gave me an exam and she told me to cough! – from the “Mama Rap” by (artist forgotten) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/31 "2017-05-21T11:58:19Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I can sorta understand the coughing part; causing everything to tense up. I don’t get the turning of the head part. So you don’t cough in his face. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/32 "2017-05-21T14:06:30Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > That’s the perineum. One little syllable makes all the difference. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/33 "2017-05-21T17:44:13Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > isn’t “peritoneum” often used for that tract between asshole and base of penis? Or asshole and vagina? It t’aint. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/34 "2017-05-21T21:32:57Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Hmm…hernias and peritoneum are linked medically, no? > > And more broadly–correct me if I’m wrong (as you always are invited)–isn’t “peritoneum” often used for that tract between asshole and base of penis? Or asshole and vagina? > > (Which has a poetic name in Japanese slang, which I was told and can’t remember. But I digress.) > > Ok, last time: scrotum&taint :); s&t&razor ☹ Ant’s trail. Why I remember it now I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/35 "2017-05-22T13:23:15Z")
Had inguinal hernia repair when I was 15, its not like its painful, just unsightly, and a strange feeling pushing your guts, or part of them back into your body through your sac. I think the worst part about it was getting it repaired, couldn’t do anything a 15 year old would for like 6 weeks! Even then they recommended I couldn’t lift over 50LBS for 6 months to be on the safe side… imagine the ruined possibilities… I got it done though, and thankfully before they started putting in those defective meshes. I remember coughing to the side though, I wondered the same thing. Just felt like sharing. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/36 "2017-05-22T13:38:39Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > How would you like to be the ONE hernia patient at a teaching hospital? Roughly 30 years ago, as part of my wife’s infertility evaluation, I had an appointment for a thorough going-over at a teaching hospital. Every part of the exam was repeated by the clinician, a resident, two interns, a student, and a “visiting fellow” (that was especially bothersome, as I had no idea what that meant). So, for example, my prostate was examined six times, with much discussion the entire time. My balls were “sized”; each of them palpated each teste with one hand while their other hand palpated a string of wooden, numbered balls on a string. So, yeah, teaching hospitals. They gave me six “thumbs up”. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/37 "2017-05-22T15:45:22Z")
Wait. That seems to be quite a lot for business as usual for a paying client. You were asked, yes, and the situation explained to you, right? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/38 "2017-05-22T16:23:16Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Wait. That seems to be quite a lot for business as usual for a paying client. You were asked, yes, and the situation explained to you, right? Me? My wife’s infertility was being worked up by a practice that was part of a teaching hospital. When I was asked to submit to examination, I arrived ready to be checked over, but the teaching aspect wasn’t mentioned until I was in a room wearing a gown. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/39 "2017-05-22T16:40:55Z")
Ah. So at least it was mentioned, post-gown but pre onslaught. “Nice of you to mention it…” (\* thought after third go-round after wondering if you even said OK \*) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927/40 "2017-05-22T17:25:33Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Roughly 30 years ago, as part of my wife’s infertility evaluation, I had an appointment for a thorough going-over at a teaching hospital. Every part of the exam was repeated by the clinician, a resident, two interns, a student, and a “visiting fellow” (that was especially bothersome, as I had no idea what that meant). > > So, for example, my prostate was examined six times, with much discussion the entire time. My balls were “sized”; each of them palpated each teste with one hand while their other hand palpated a string of wooden, numbered balls on a string. > > So, yeah, teaching hospitals. > > They gave me six “thumbs up”. Heh. But did it work? Did you & wife end up with kids? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-physician-feeling-for-with-turn-your-head-and-cough/759927.md?page=3)