can anyone answer this ?

[WannaBDukeNurse]

I need to know what medically happends when someone has the wind knocked out of them. How long does is usually take for them to be able to breath correctly and does it damage the lungs or anything...thanks guys!

[Rustyhammer]

Thread moved here to get more views.

-Russell

[Sleepyeyes]

The diaphragm is the muscle that controls breathing. When the wind gets knocked out of you, that means that your diaphragm is in a spasm. As far as I know, it doesn't damage the lungs.

When it comes out of spasm, and can move, you can breathe again.

I don't know if this can happen long enough to kill someone, but I imagine it could.

[WannaBDukeNurse]

thanks sleepyeyes!!

[WannaBDukeNurse]

hey rusty whatcha mean by that post? im new lol

[Sleepyeyes]

I think what rusty means is that he moved your question from one discussion to another so that someone (like me) would see it and respond.

Did you post this question on the General Nursing discussion? because that's where it is now, :) and rusty is the moderator who moved it, and just wanted to let you know.

[MK2002]

The extent of the damage depends on how hard the victim is hit, exactly where the blow landed and distributed the force, and how much the muscle or fat tissue was there to absorb that force. So you cannot really generalize.

Also, how did the hit occur? On the football field a player could just lie on the grass for a minute and recover. But I had an incident in the late 1960's where I could have died. While I was on an inflatable raft near the ocean shoreline a wave threw me off the raft. I landed on my back hard against the wet sand. The wind was knocked completely out of my lungs. Then another wave crashed on top of me and dragged me under the water. I was in great pain, could not move, and thought I might die by drowning. In agony I managed to turn over and crawl from under the water back on to the wet beach.

[WannaBDukeNurse]

wow mk ive had some almost drowning insidents at the beach but that one is worst than all mine!! thank you for the info!

[WannaBDukeNurse]

oh thanks sleepy! yeah i had it in feedback before

[WannaBDukeNurse]

thanks rusty for moving it so i could have more people see it! : )

[Rustyhammer]

anytime

-Russell

[OBNURSEHEATHER]

Used to happen to me all the time when I was a kid. I just had a knack for falling hard on my ass and knocking the wind out of me.

Growing up, we had these stairs that, looking back, I swear they were freaking painted, and then finished with a slick glossy coat of something! And of course I always used to wear those footies with the little colored balls at the ankle. Socks and slick surfaces do not mix, and more times than I care to count I got down those stairs more quickly than I cared to.

So, I guess it could cause alot of damage, but I'm living proof that it doesn't always.

Heather