A medical Conundrum?

Question

We have all heard about the grandmother who, in a feat of nearly super human strength, lifts the car or small truck off her grandchild and saves her life. Or the guy who lifts the crashed 1500 pound helicopter out of the mud thus saving his friend's life who can then be pulled from under. I am sure there are many other incidents on the books but these will do. My question(the conundrum). The grandmother who potentially could, if she fell down, break her hip. We all if we lift too much or strain too much can tear muscle and damage bone. How in these situations can a body, any body, even in the throes of this forced adrenalin storm tolerate these stresses. Why don't muscles tear? Why don't bones break? I understand that th sheer will to save a loved one can make us all do things unheard of. But what about the mechanics of the thing. How can the human machine tolerate this? My physician friends have given no solid answers. Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

I had a patient once who did a superhuman feat due to adrenalin rush. He related that he never felt the pain when he lifted the car (slipped disk), he felt it after the rush was over. I think some injury is done, its just that what people did overshadowed what happened after.

Answer 2

I've never heard of a grandma lifting a car, or a man lifting a helicopter.  Please site a source.

Answer 3

I'll take a shot at it although I am an RN, not a physician. The super-human acts of strength you mention most likely do take some sort of a toll. While the adrenalin tide may excite skeletal muscles to ratchet down to their maximal potential (and thereby maximizing their force) there  are limits based simply on the mass of the muscle. Frankly I have not heard myself of a grandmother (a grandmother in her 60's or older that is) lifting a car, but have read anecdotes about younger people doing such things -- but more like lifting the front end of a car rather than the entire thing, or perhaps a corner of the car to get it off some guy's chest following the failure of a jack to hold.  The other issue is the baseline condition of the superman/hero/heroine. The elderly typically suffer from some degree of osteoporosis, along with reduced  muscle mass, so in generaly I don't think it would be possible regardless of how much adrenaline is flowing. A long bone or joint might indeed snap under the strain. Something would most likekly  give -- their back, a joint, you name it.  While adrenaline would serve to exact maximal muscle contractxion, it gives no protection from fractures, ruptured disks, ligament/tendon damage, etc. Even in the case of  younger people performing such acts, I would have to believe there is usually some sort of collateral damage such as a muscle tear or strain at the very least. We would really need to talk to a physician who has first-hand knowledge of such a case, or perhaps read of a case-study in a reputable medical journal. There are physicians who visit this board, so perhaps they will have better insight.

Answer 4

The muscles do tear and the bones do break but the pain is momentarily suppressed by the adrenaline.

The laws of physics are not suspended (with the exception of true miracles) when ordinary people do feats of super human strength. And,  they do suffer injuries as a sacrifice.