In what medical experts describe as the first documented instance of its kind, a man tried to hold in a sneeze and ended up rupturing his windpipe.
The incident happened while the man was driving his automobile and suddenly developed hay fever. But instead of putting his finger behind his nose or allowing the sneeze to come out of control, he sealed his lips and compressed his nose.
According to a Live Science report, this peculiar sneeze control method had the exact opposite effect—the power of the repressed sneeze created a tiny, two-by-two-millimeter hole in his windpipe. Pressure built up as a result of the man’s airway constriction, causing a 20-fold greater sneeze than typical.
The man’s windpipe ruptured due to extreme pressure and his neck was swollen on both sides. He was in severe pain so he went for medical help.
A little cracking sound was noticed by the physicians when they examined him. The individual, however, had no issues speaking, breathing or swallowing.
The guy had surgical emphysema, a condition where air is trapped under the skin’s deepest tissue layers, as shown by an X-ray. A CT scan later revealed that the rupture was situated between the third and fourth vertebrae in his neck. And there was a build-up of air in the space between his chest and lungs.
