As you've sorted through a pile of homework papers or dragged your finger along the edges of the pages of a book , we bet that at one time or another you've suddenly felt a jolt of pain.
What's going on here? Oh no! It's a paper cut! Although pieces of paper don't otherwise resemble sharp knives, the edges of a piece of paper can at times be razor -sharp. If you've ever gotten a paper cut on your fingertip, you know the pain can feel disproportionate to what seems like a minor cut. So why do paper cuts hurt so badly? Are you just being a wimp because you can't stand the sting of a paper cut? There are a few reasons that nearly everyone feels the same way about those annoying , painful paper cuts.
One major reason paper cuts hurt so much is their usual location : your fingertips. You usually don't get paper cuts on your belly, your knees, or your back. If you did, they wouldn't hurt nearly as much. Your fingertips are very sensitive. They're built to serve as the primary means by which your brain processes your sense of touch.
They can feel pressure , pain, and temperature easily. There are more nerve fibers called nociceptors per square inch in your fingertips than most other areas of your body. When you get a paper cut, the paper slices through these nerve fibers, resulting in many pain signals being sent to your brain. If that wasn't bad enough, you'll notice after a paper cut that you can't just stop using your hands until it heals.
You constantly need to use your hands and, as you do so, your skin moves and the wound gets pressed and pulled upon, which delays healing and renews the pain you feel each time it happens. The typical location of paper cuts explains why a paper cut on your fingertip hurts more than a similar cut on your belly or leg.
However, a paper cut tends to hurt more than a different kind of cut, like from a knife, on your fingertip. Why is that? To answer that question, we have to look at the object doing the cutting: the paper.
Unlike a knife edge, which is extremely sharp and straight, the edge of a piece of paper is dull and flexible by comparison. Have you ever tried to cut a piece of meat with a very dull knife or watched someone do it? The knife pulls and tears at the meat rather than slicing cleanly through it.
That's what paper does to your fingertip when you get a paper cut. Although you can't really see it with your eyes, the edge of a piece of paper does a lot of microscopic damage to your fingertip when it cuts it.
Adding to the pain is the fact that paper cuts tend to be shallow and bleed little. This means many damaged nerve endings are left exposed near the surface of your skin, where they can be irritated easily, resulting in more pain signals being sent to your brain. So what can you do when you get a paper cut? Clean it thoroughly and then cover it with a bandage or a liquid bandage. Keeping the wound closed and covered will help to reduce the amount of irritation the nerve fibers experience, thereby reducing your pain.
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Thank you for sharing what you found to be most interesting, Sanjana. Ouch, you're right, tyrique! What are your thoughts? It sounds like you're a fan of wrestling, Randy! We don't have any Wonders yet about wrestling Thanks for sharing your connection to this Wonder of the Day, Wonder Friend! We're glad you visited Wonderopolis! We did some extra digging and found that Booboogoo was introduced a couple years ago, but it doesn't appear that the product is being made right now.
We bet it would be really convenient to use! Thanks for joining the discussion, Peyton! You can learn more about nerve fibers by visiting the Ducksters website! Thanks for sharing what you thought of this Wonder, 45! We hope you'll stick around and explore more Wonders! We bet that stung a bit, John.
Perhaps your teacher wanted to make sure the wound was cleaned so it wouldn't get infected. We hope you'll explore some of these color-related Wonders! Fortunately, we suppose paper cuts might occur less often as we continue to use digital technology more and more!
Yeah they hurt super bad , I strongly dislike Paper cuts. I also got stung by a bee before. It's kinda like getting a Paper cut! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, anonymus! We think that's a good idea for a Wonder of the Day! We hope you'll submit your question to our Wonder Bank! You can also embark on your own Wonder Journey to discover the answer for yourself! We don't like them either, Karter! We hope today's Wonder helps you understand WHY they're so painful.
Hi, Grace. Even though paper is flimsy, the edges are thin and can be very sharp. Thanks for your question! Thanks for joining the discussion, Grace! Even though pieces of paper seem harmless, the edges can cause real pain. Why do paper cuts hurt so much? Your nerves: Manhattan vs. For some people, paper cuts are even worse Those with neuropathy nerve damage , such as the damage to hands and feet caused by diabetes, can experience greater pain with paper cuts.
Related: Six signs your wound isn't healing right. Read more. Ohio State first to use new heart failure treatment that could help millions Heart failure patients have a new treatment option after cardiologists at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center were the first in the U.
Get tips from Ohio State experts right to your inbox. Email address. First name. When a knife cuts your skin, it leaves a relatively clean cut compared to paper, which will flex a little and do more microscopic damage to the skin. Paper also makes a more shallow wound than most other cutting injuries. A shallow cut on the surface might only bleed a little, or not at all. Paper cuts remind us that no matter how many times we have performed even a simple task we are capable of accidentally hurting ourselves.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. How to stop the ouch As a family physician , I can recommend a few practical ways to minimize the discomfort of a paper cut.
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