Is there a doctor in the house?

[MostlyHarmless]

So, yesterday, I managed to perform a Blinding Strike on myself. I whacked my elbow on a chair and within a minute felt everything going black like I was about to pass out. I remained conscious, but things were definitely touch and go for about 5-10 minutes as I sweated profusely and my vision went in and out. I don't know what colors I was turning but people asked me if I was ok. Luckily I was sitting down and I managed not to get nauseous, thought I was worried for a minute.

Anyway, does anyone know anything about nerves and this pressure point on the elbow just below the boniest part, sort of toward the outside of the forearm joint? If I'm ever attacked, I will aim for this incapacitating spot. It was brutal.
I'm amazed how a strike on the elbow could affect me so much. Until now, "funny bone" hits have only left my fingers tingling a bit, which is pretty logical.

[Lord Herman]

I once had sword fighting lessons (medieval european), where I also learned some unarmed fighting techniques. Most of those techniques revolved around hitting the other guy on a vulnerable nerve. I almost knocked my friend out during training by hitting him on the exact right spot - somewhere on his upper arm. I wasn't even hitting him that hard, but he fell over and almost passed out.

[Azrael]

Ah, I'm sure it was all mostly harmless.

[Jibar]

Ah, I'm sure it was all mostly harmless.

First, doh. *headdesk*

Second, while I am a doctor, this is outside my expertise. I can however say that I have done the same thing to a lesser extent. While I was probably close to collapsing from pain, I didn't exactly black out, and I lost all feeling from my elbow above.

[mudbunny]

I would help, but I am a Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry), not (as my in-laws often say) a useful doctor.

[Lord Herman]

As I understand it, it's not that you collapse from pain - it's actually a short overload of the nervous system. Of course, it still friggin' hurts, but not as much as, say, a blow to the head that is supposed to knock you out.

[SurlySeraph]

Yep, there's a specific nerve point on the elbow that hurts like hell when it's hit. The martial art Dim Mak is based around hitting people in nerve points (like that one) to incapacitate them. Basically, you just got extremely unlucky and hit that nerve by accident. You'll be fine, it doesn't do anything permanent to you.

[Dragonrider]

Whoa! The Vulcan Nerve Pinch ain't a fantasy after all! :smallamused:

[nagora]

I would help, but I am a Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry), not (as my in-laws often say) a useful doctor.

Ah, you mean you're a real doctor, as opposed to a medic with a fancy title.

[Raiser Blade]

*Hits real doctor on back of head and then proceeds to don his doctor looking clothes

Ahem, i regret to inform you that your reaction is actually a sign of acute hedgitimichelrakalifikitis it is only curable if the afflicted manages to drink the blood of a musk ox's still beating heart.

Otherwise you have *looks at watch* 28 seconds to live

[DraPrime]

Why don't you just go to the doctor instead of asking us? The forums aren't exactly the most reliable source of medical information.

[RandomNPC]

yea you had your first leson in dim mak. the marines actually train in a bit of it. a quick chop to the artery near the tricep can disable an arm, striking there and the on top of the arm overloads the nervous system to the point of blackout, much like hitting any one nerve cluster hard enough would.

you're ok. thats why its ok to laugh at the funny bone.

[LCR]

You probably managed to hit your nervus medianus, at least that's what's most likely, according to my anatomy book.

[Ikkitosen]

Ah, you mean you're a real doctor, as opposed to a medic with a fancy title.

Lol, I'm so glad I'm not the only one that thinks this way (just don't tell my GP!).

[Charity]

Thats alright your GP isn't really a doctor, I sold him that license.

[Ikkitosen]

Thats alright your GP isn't really a doctor, I sold him that license.

Does that make you a doctor? Or a printer? :smallbiggrin:

[Charity]

A forger?


When I was a child (~9-10) I slipped and fell onto my back and lost my vision, only for a brief time (about enough time to scare the crap out of me, about 10 seconds, it doesn't sound like long, but heres a thing to show how scarily long it is, try closing your eyes for that long while driving a car, you'll get a sense of how long it feels then*)

*Charity in no way takes responsibility for anyone stupid enough to try this out (knowing fully well you are all going to, bet you don't get past three) and furthermore would like to stress that although it appears that I drive with my eyes shut (ask Jontom or Archie... when they get out of the sanitorium, some unrelated nerves issue, that spontaniously occured shortly after our trip to Leeds, to both of them...)
that is not the case.

[Dean Fellithor]

I once cut open the skin above my knee so bad that the muscle was visible, I had to get stiches, I also blacked out for a minute, bad stuff.

[The Prince of Cats]

There is a tale of two fencers with sharp blades who were duelling just out of range. One thrust was a little too close and the duellist caught his opponent just beside the knee, with the same effect that you describe.

The human body is a strange thing; you can walk away with some pretty nasty injuries and cope, while something minor can knock you flat on your back.

[banjo1985]

The human body is a strange thing; you can walk away with some pretty nasty injuries and cope, while something minor can knock you flat on your back.

I definitely agree. Take paper cuts for example, there is absolutely no logical reason why they hurt as much as they do, I've broken my wrist and shattered a finger, but neither hurt as much as a proper deep paper cut.

As for the elbow nerve, I think everyone's right, there are nerves in all the joints of the body that can knock anybody flat if hit in the right way!

[SurlySeraph]

A forger?


When I was a child (~9-10) I slipped and fell onto my back and lost my vision, only for a brief time (about enough time to scare the crap out of me, about 10 seconds, it doesn't sound like long, but heres a thing to show how scarily long it is, try closing your eyes for that long while driving a car, you'll get a sense of how long it feels then*)

When I was a kid (6? 8? I don't remember) I fell backwards off a bunkbed. Landed sort of squarely on my spine, I'm pretty sure it was pushed in. I couldn't move at all for... I don't even know how long maybe a minute, and then I could slowly start moving again. I couldn't get up, I had to crawl. I'm not sure how long it took before I was back to normal, not too long, but I was terrified that I'd be crippled. Your spine is NOT a nice place to get hit.

[Xerillum]

A few years ago, my friends and I were smacking each other with big sticks, and I hit one of my friends in the spine. He passed out cold. We then put him in my sister's room, and left him there with a webcam focused on the chair he was tied to. Just to see how long it would take him to escape. It took him a half hour. :smalltongue:

[MostlyHarmless]

Why don't you just go to the doctor instead of asking us? The forums aren't exactly the most reliable source of medical information.

Well...I got better. :smallbiggrin:

Why pay someone a copay to tell me I hit my nervus blackouticus when you guys can tell me I just did Sum Dim Mak on myself for free. (I'm obviously not in the land of socialized medecine)

Thanks folks. I do feel fine now, except for some swelling around that spot on my elbow. And it was more disabling than painful. That's what was so weird about it. First, I was like "OW!", then "dude, I'm woozy". If not for my +2 Con bonus, I might have passed out. I think I made my save for half damage, so, yeah, it was mostly harmless. :smalltongue:

[Syka]

Sounds like ya hit your funny bone. :) My Greek teacher hit it once during class and evidently hit it hard. He tried to keep going, but luckily it was right around break time so he just called break for 15 minutes. I was cracking up, but only because I've done the exact same thing more than once. It has no right to hurt as much as it does, but it does.

*shrug*

Cheers,
Syka

[MostlyHarmless]

I maintain that this was not the same spot as the "funny bone". I believe the funny bone is just above the elbow on the back side of the upper arm. Am I wrong? I've hit that spot and gotten tinglings and loss of feeling in the hand before. This spot is around the corner of the elbow, on the forearm. Protect it at all costs! LOL

[Syka]

Really? I always thought it was that little dent on the outside of the elbow. If you rub your finger there, you can feel it. I'm pretty sure it's the ulnar (ulner?) nerve that's righ around there...*shrugs* Then again, my Anatomy class was a year ago. Hehe.

Speaking of injuries, I discovered tonight that our coffee table is at JUST the right height to smack my knee, right below the knee cap at that bump. Hard. As in, I didn't put weight on my leg and rather hopped over to the couch. This caused my sister much laughing, and I believe I should have a beauty of a bruise tomorrow. ;) I take pride in my bruises.

Cheers,
Syka

[MostlyHarmless]

Ok, you might be right there. It's probably the same nerve at any rate.