Clamping your nose and mouth shut while sneezing can cause serious physical damage, doctors are warning.
Medics in Leicester treated a 34-year-old man who ruptured his throat while trying to stop a high-force sneeze.
With nowhere to escape, the pressure ripped through the soft tissue, and although rare and unusual,
Case Reports.
The man said he felt a "popping" sensation in his neck when it happened and then immediately experienced pain and difficulty swallowing and speaking.
When the doctors checked him over they found he had swelling and tenderness around his throat and neck.
x-ray of the man's neckImage
Image caption
The black arrow points to the air streaks (in black) in the soft tissue area
This X-ray revealed air escaping from his windpipe into the soft tissue of his neck through the rupture.
The man had to be fed by a tube for the next seven days to allow time for the tissues to heal.
After spending a week in hospital, the man was sent home and made a full recovery.
Doctors from the ear, nose, throat department at Leicester Royal Infirmary, where the man was treated, said: "Halting a sneeze via blocking nostrils and mouth is a dangerous and should be avoided."
Sneezes can spread diseases, although it is good to "let them out", make sure you catch them in a tissue.
With flu season in full swing, children and adults should be encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough and sneeze and then throw the tissues away in a bin and wash their hands to stop the spread of germs, says Public Health England. Health is Wealth