Burst eardrums, broken backs, even death... the dangers of sneezing



Bless you: Sneezes spread germs but they could also cause injury

In the sliding scale of dangerous activities, Lauren Henshaw hardly rated sneezing as something to worry about.



That was until one day, two years ago, when the force of a sneeze caused a slipped disc in her back.

'I was in the shower when I sneezed. The most agonising pain shot right through me and I fell to the floor. I was by myself at home and my phone was in the bedroom,' says Lauren, a 28-year-old entertainment manager from Cheshire.



'I somehow eased myself out of the shower, but must have passed out with the pain because, two hours later, I woke up shivering on the bathroom floor. I was in horrendous pain.



'Part of me had visions of the fire brigade having to kick down my door to rescue me. I crawled to my phone and called my aunt, and it took me two hours to get to the front door to let her in.'



It may sound extreme, but that tickle in your nose can cause some pretty nasty injuries.

Yesterday, the Mail told the story of solicitor Victoria Kenny who was left bedridden for two years after being seriously injured while, er, watching television and sneezing.

Her sneeze was so forceful that it caused a ruptured disc in Victoria's spine, which resulted in her sciatic nerve being trapped between two vertebrae.



The 53-year-old mother of three was forced to quit work because of the constant pain and was left so depressed she contemplated suicide.



Her misery only came to an end earlier this year when she underwent pioneering surgery on her spine.



We probably all understand how a sneeze can be a weapon of mass destruction when it comes to spreading germs.



A single sneeze from a commuter can end up giving up to 150 fellow travellers a cold in just five minutes.



'I had a giant sneeze and felt this really sharp pain under my arm - I'd cracked a rib'

But few realise how dangerous a sneeze can be to the person doing the atishoo-ing - from broken ribs to, in one case, a heart attack.



Professor Adam Carey, a sports injury specialist, explains: 'There are two types of sneeze that can cause damage. The first is when a person sneezes violently and the force throws your body out of kilter.



'That's called the whiplash effect - as your head moves forwards and backwards very quickly - and can cause all sorts of muscle strain or bone problems.



'The second type of injury is caused if we try to suppress a sneeze, before letting it out. The suppression causes a massive build-up of pressure in our head, which can cause injuries such as a burst eardrum, tearing blood vessels and muscles in the head, damaging the sinuses and even, in rare cases, brain haemorrhages.'



Dentist Dr Phil Stemmer of the Fresh Breath Clinic in London continues the grim refrain.



'You have to watch your teeth when they bang together as, in some cases, you could lose a tooth. I have treated people who have lost teeth and also sneezers who have bitten their tongue or cheek, which can be painful and can also lead to a nasty infection.'



Since we sneeze about three times a day, it seems we all may be in unexpected danger.



Little wonder when you consider that scientists estimate the speed of a sneeze at 650mph (roughly 85 per cent of the speed of sound).



With this kind of rocket propulsion, injuries are bound to happen.



Jenny Compton, a student from Hampshire, cracked one of her ribs when she sneezed three years ago.



Back to full health: Victoria Kenny was crippled for two years after sneezing

She says: 'I always suffer from bad hayfever.



'But on this occasion I had a giant sneeze and felt this really sharp pain under my arm.



'At first I didn't think anything of it, but three days later I was still in agony - and whenever I coughed or sneezed I wanted to pass out.



'I went to the doctor and an X-ray revealed I'd cracked one of my ribs. It took weeks to heal.'



Lauren Henshaw also needed hospital treatment when her sneeze caused her slipped disc.



'I walked on crutches for two weeks and had to have three months off work while I underwent physiotherapy. It was a nightmare.'



But Lauren and Jenny may have escaped lightly.



Earlier this year, 18-year-old Dean Rice had a sneezing fit on the first day of a camping trip in South Wales.



He started complaining of an agonising pain in his ear, then seconds later he collapsed and died, the sneeze having triggered a massive brain haemorrhage.



And last month, retired design engineer John Oram, 79, collapsed after he was seen sneezing 'violently'.

He died after suffering a brain haemorrhage and a heart attack which doctors believe was caused by the heavy sneezing.

So how can you protect yourself from injuries caused by sneezing? London-based physiotherapist Sammy Margo says that if you want to sneeze safely, you have to brace yourself for the onslaught.

'I live in fear of a tickly feeling in my nose'

'With sneezing we usually anticipate it, so when you feel a sneeze coming you need to engage your abdominal muscles - that is, hold your tummy in - to withstand the whiplash effect of throwing your head backwards and forwards and so causing injury.



'If you flop into a sneeze, your body movements are out of control and this can overstretch the ligaments and damage muscles, joints and discs.'



Even though it has been two years since her sneeze-triggered injury, Lauren Henshaw still lives in fear of that tickly feeling in her nose.



'I still have sciatica and pain from my slipped disc and I'm terrified of getting injured again. So when I sneeze, I try to hold back and guide it out as gently as possible.



'Until you've been through what I've been through, you just don't know how dangerous it can be.'



