Just when you thought we couldn't get more mileage out of human suffering, we're back
with yet another episode proving that existence is pain. We've covered the most painful cancers,
stings, and medical conditions that leave people in horrible agony,
and we've got more to add to our list of most painful things a human can experience.
Warning: our final entry includes very graphic imagery.
Frozen Shoulder
Everyone's likely gotten the cold shoulder at least once in their life,
but frozen shoulder will cause you more than some low level social pain. Common amongst
people who are recovering from medical conditions or procedures that restrict arm movement, frozen
shoulder begins slowly, and then quickly ramps up to full-blown agony which can last for years.
Your shoulder and all its associated ligaments,
tendons, and bones are all wrapped up in a gift-wrapping of connective tissues.
When you don't use your arm for long stretches of time though, that tissue can begin to thicken,
slowly but steadily reducing the range of motion of your arm. If unchecked, frozen shoulder will
eventually all but immobilize you, and trying to move your arm will result in great amounts of pain
as you fight against the tissue that's keeping your various bits and pieces tightly restrained.
Docs aren't sure why frozen shoulder develops exactly, but it's known to strike those with
diabetes or who have their limbs immobilized for long periods of time. The bad news about
frozen shoulder is that the treatment is even more agonizing than the condition,
as the only way to cure it is to routinely exercise your arm with stretches and exercises
meant to restore mobility. You're literally having to stretch your overly tightened tissues
into normal mobility, causing severe agony.
The next item on our list is a killer that can strike almost anyone, at any time.
Heart Attack
If you've ever been wealthy enough to go to the emergency room to seek treatment
then you've likely been asked if you're experiencing any chest pains. That's because
doctors are on the lookout for a heart attack, one of the most painful things you can experience.
Caused by a blockage of blood flow, a heart attack is the heart literally fighting for its life.
Blockages are most common amongst individuals who are overweight, and are caused by things such as
fat or cholesterol. As blood flow becomes restricted, the heart muscles are weakened,
and some of them may even be killed outright. In that case, you're in very serious trouble.
Heart attacks typically begin with extreme pain in the chest, which can either come
after a buildup of pressure and discomfort, or strike completely out of nowhere. The good news
is that the pain only lasts a few minutes, because you'll be dead shortly after without
immediate medical attention. If you ever experience sudden tightness or discomfort,
let alone full blown pain in your chest, call an emergency room right away and try
not to have a second heart attack when you realize how deep in debt you'll soon be.
Our next painful condition is hereditary, and if you don’t
suffer from it personally there’s a chance you could be passing the misery on to your kids.
Sickle Cell Disease
We might as well stay on the theme of your body turning against you. Sickle cell disease
is a blood disorder that's inherited through your parent's genes, and results in red blood
cells being grossly deformed. Instead of the nice round shapes you'd expect red blood cells to be,
sickle cells are so named because the red blood cells become hard and form into a sickle shape.
This makes it extremely difficult for the body to get the oxygen it desperately needs,
as the sickle cells are unable to transport oxygen efficiently.
Other than constant exhaustion, the pain comes when the sickle cells die off en masse and form
blockages in your arteries. Sickle cells are like James Dean- they live very fast and die extremely
young. This can cause blockages that interrupt blood flow, leading to some serious internal pain
that narcotics aren't going to do very much to help you manage. Eventually the blockage
can lead to stroke and death, making sickle cell a deadly, and painful disorder to have.
Sickle cell disease is most common amongst people with ancestors from sub-saharan Africa,
making it endemic to the black community, though the cause is poorly understood.
Our next painful experience is something everyone will experience- if you live long enough.
Arthritis
Frozen shoulder sounds pretty terrible- and painful- but what if all of your joints were
being attacked at once? Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the body begins to friendly fire
all over the place and attack the body's joints. First, the immune system attacks the membrane that
encloses all of the joint's moving parts, causing it to become inflamed and swollen. Over time,
the immune system eats through this membrane to attack the cartilage and
bone inside of the actual joint itself. Without that protective layer of cartilage in the joint,
your bones rub together as you move, leading to some pretty terrible pains.
Regular arthritis sets in with age, though family history,
exercise, and weight can all have negative impacts on your odds to get arthritis.
Exercising regularly and keeping your weight in check can help limit the effects of arthritis,
with extra pounds putting even more pressure on your joints and more quickly eroding the
cartilage within. Currently there's no cure for arthritis, and the best medicine can do is help
lessen the pain and improve quality of life. The next most painful thing you can experience
is all too common, and can strike anyone, at any time.
Sciatica
The good news about sciatica is that it typically goes away over time,
the bad news is that it can be so painful, it's completely debilitating.
The sciatica nerve travels along your spine, then branches out from your lower back to travel down
each leg. It's one of the main nerves in the human body, which means that when something
goes wrong with it, you can be sure it's going to let you know with as much pain as
it can produce- which is a lot. Typically sciatica is caused by damage to the spine,
such as a herniated disk or bone spur, or by narrowing of the spine. This causes the
sciatic nerve to become compressed, and if there's one thing nerves don't like,
it's to be messed with- it's kind of their whole job to let you know when that happens.
But what can you do when the thing bothering your nerve is your own body? Well, not a whole
lot in most cases. Only if the pain is extremely severe will doctors consider surgery to try and
relieve the pressure on the nerve. For the rest of you, you'll have weeks of debilitating pain
to look forward to as your body naturally heals. Just try not to sneeze if you develop sciatica,
as we have it on good authority that a sudden, violent sneeze will quickly send
you into Hellraiser-level depths of agony. Our next condition can also strike anyone,
at any time, but unlike sciatica, it can be absolutely deadly.
Appendicitis
Mother nature wants to remind you that she hates you, and that's why she's put a ticking time
bomb in your body. The appendix, an organ who's purpose is still unclear and some doctors suspect
is an evolutionary left-over, is home to lots and lots of bacteria. Most of that bacteria we know
are there to aid in digestion, and a new theory states that the appendix is meant to be a home
of sort for these bacteria. A place where they can hang their hat after a tough 12 hour shift
in your colon, helping digest and process your food. Sure, an appendix may not be an impressive
place to live, but don't judge these bacteria too quickly- their job is pretty crappy after all.
Problems occur when bacteria multiply out of control,
leading to a blockage and an infection. The appendix quickly becomes inflamed,
and swells up as it fills with pus. If you don't get treatment right away,
the appendix will burst, spreading the infection throughout your body and potentially killing you.
Treatments are highly effective, as in most cases doctors simply have to remove the appendix before
it bursts. If you begin to have pain that starts at your navel and then moves around the abdominal
area, you should definitely see a doctor right away. On par with a kidney stone, appendicitis is
completely debilitating, and can feel like a horse kicking you repeatedly and non-stop on the side.
Famously, a Soviet surgeon on a trip to Antarctica had to perform a self-appendectomy to save his own
life, using only mirrors so he could see what he was doing and absolutely zero pain killers.
Appendicitis is easily resolved if caught early, though if the appendix does burst
treatment will include removal of the appendix and power washing of your intestines so you
don't end up dying to the secondary infection- which we imagine is also rather unpleasant.
Our next most painful thing you can experience is as savage as it is deadly-
warning, very graphic imagery ahead.
Chimpanzee Attack
We've covered plenty of ways your body can betray you in this episode, but we thought
we'd end with one of the most painful things you can experience that doesn't come from within.
Chimps- they're adorable. They're like small humans, and who doesn't love to see a chimp
dressed up in a business suit with a fake cigar, pretending to be a real person? Well,
turns out the chimps don't always love to play make-believe, and sometimes we
forget that chimps are wild animals who are several times stronger than the average human.
Chimpanzee attacks are brutal, and it's our official stance on the Infographics
show that chimps- along with jellyfish- are the biggest a-holes in the animal kingdom.
Hear us out. While much stronger than a human, a chimpanzee could easily kill
a person- but evolution has given them an entirely different battle strategy.
Instead of killing, in the wild chimpanzees often try to disfigure and dismember rivals, and because
evolution is all about reproduction, one of the first targets chimps go for is the groin.
In 2005, a couple was visiting their pet chimpanzee they had to house at the Animal
Haven Ranch in Caliente, California, after the chimp bit off part of a woman's finger- already
a red flag if we've ever seen one. While at the sanctuary, four other chimps escaped their cages,
and two male chimps charged at the couple. The woman lost her thumb,
but her husband bravely managed to hold the chimps’ attention so she could find safety,
though paid for it dearly. He ended up having his genitals mutilated, had a foot torn off,
had severe damage to his face resulting in the loss of one eye, most of one cheek, and part of
his nose, as well as having part of his buttocks bitten and ripped off by the attacking chimps.
In 2009, a woman was attacked by her friend's pet chimp. The chimp
tore off both of her hands and completely mauled her face (use second image down at
https://www.the-sun.com/news/870352/horror-injuries-woman-face-hands-ripped-pet-chimp/,
credit to associated press). The chimp attacked responding police officers,
cornering one cop in his car as he opened fire point blank, killing the crazed animal.
It's not just domestic chimps attacking people however. In Uganda, chimpanzees suffering from
habitat loss due to farming have begun fighting back- in completely horrendous ways. In 2014 a
chimpanzee snatched a toddler from its mother, broke off its arm, and mauled the child so badly
he died on the way to a hospital. As chimps are finding it more and more difficult to find food
in the wild, they've resorted to raiding farms and villages, with disastrous consequences
for the Ugandans who live there. Much like in the wild, the chimps seem to be attacking infants,
with infanticide being an evolutionary survival technique ingrained into chimps. If you deny
your rivals their children after all, then there'll be no future competition for resources.
Having our most sensitive body parts ripped apart by pure ape fury
sounds like one of the worst things a human can experience to us.
Now go check out Most Painful Things A Human Can Experience- or click this other video instead!