17 Gnarly Injuries You Should Never, EVER Google Image Search
Ring Avulsion
Many people never take their wedding ring off once they're married. While this is a sweet gesture, it can lead to some truly horrifying incidences, like ring avulsion. This happens when someone's ring gets caught on an object, and either the ring or their body is pulled sharply in the opposite direction.
The harsh tug causes the ring to literally rip the skin and flesh off the finger, from the base all the way to the tip. This leaves the bones and flesh exposed, and can sometimes strip away nerves and tendons as well. When it's really bad, it can even remove the finger entirely.
Luckily, doctors can often repair a hand or finger after this type of gash - assuming you get to the hospital quickly and take any removed flesh or finger bits with you. Ring avulsion is very rare, but it does happen - just ask Jimmy Fallon.
Compound Fracture
When you think of gruesome physical afflictions, a compound fracture is likely one of the first things that springs to mind. Also known as an open fracture, a compound fracture occurs when a bone gets broken so badly that part of it punctures through the skin.
These types of breaks require a huge amount of force, which means there may be an audible snap, there will be blood, and the limb may torque sideways at unnatural-seeming angles. In other words, it's the stuff of nightmares.
A person can risk loss of life if this kind of break isn't treated quickly, and it will generally require surgery to correct, as well as a long period of rehab.
Hyphema
When people talk about seeing red, they probably aren't talking about a hyphema, but that's a pretty good description anyway. This condition happens when blood collects and pools inside the anterior chamber of your eye, in the space between your cornea and your iris. Basically, it partially or completely fills up the colored part of your eye, so a little ocean of blood just sloshes around in there.
This painful condition can permanently harm your eye if it is left untreated. Luckily, this only happens when there's severe damage to the eye, or if you have a pre-existing blood condition like sickle cell anemia or hemophilia. No matter the reason, it will need to be drained, and you'll be seeing the blood until that happens.
Hypopyon is another similar, and equally awful, condition. It involves the anterior chamber of eye welling up with pus. However, pictures of that are arguably even worse.
Partial Amputation
Unlike with a full amputation, a partial amputation happens when a limb is nearly severed - but soft tissue still remains, barely connecting the limb to the body. Some bone and ligaments may also be present.
The most traumatic type is a partial hand amputation; they make up about 10 percent of partial amputations. This kind of damage is dire if left untreated.
Corneal Laceration
If you know what your cornea is and you know what a laceration is, then you know where this is going. A corneal laceration happens when you get a cut on your cornea, the clear front area of the eye you see through. It's much deeper than a scratch; part of your eye actually splits open.
This can be further complicated with an iris prolapse. This is where a little bit of your iris protrudes through the hole in your eye, appearing to drip out like water.
Denailing
More commonly known as a pulled nail, denailing is what happens when your nail is pulled out by the root. It basically leaves your finger or toe looking like a bloody stump. It's a classic method of systematic harm because it's excruciatingly painful and was intentionally caused one of several ways.
Sometimes the nail was gripped by pliers or another tool and drawn straight out in one harsh movement. In Spain, they would drive a wedge made of wood or metal between the nail and the skin, and then hammer it in there until the nail was torn free. Other methods involved heated metal and more, none of it pretty.
Accidental denailing can also happen, though it's very rare. If you keep your nails short and well maintained, it's less likely to happen to you.
Testicular Degloving
Whether or not you have testicles, seeing them graphically damaged tends to be a cringe-worthy event. Degloving is a type of avulsion injury, but in this case, it happens to the testes and parts of the penis. To be more specific, degloving occurs when there's extreme harm to the testicles that causes the skin to be pulled back or pulled off, exposing the flesh and testicles underneath.
This can also result in damage to the testicles and penis itself, and it can cause the scrotal contents to get infected due to exposure to the open air and contaminants.
This disfigurement has to be treated immediately, or it could lead to serious health problems and even, rarely, loss of life. Because it requires surgery to repair, most testicular degloving photos are snapped while the unfortunate person is on the operating table.
Achilles Tendon Rupture
While a rupture of an Achilles tendon can happen over time as the tendon grows weak, the really horrifying version of this is when it is traumatically severed. There may be an audible pop or snap as the tendon breaks, and there will be a sudden, excruciating pain in the back of the leg and ankle. Then, you will find that you can't point your toe, flex your foot, or stand on tiptoe.
The tendon can be surgically repaired, but recovery is a slow, painful process.
Sinus Perforation
There's only skin and a little flesh separating much of your mouth, gums, and lips from the inside of your sinus cavity. All it takes is blunt force and that barrier can be broken, leaving the sinus cavity exposed and filled with blood.
This can occur when a tooth is knocked out, or when the jaw itself is harmed. It can also happen accidentally during dental surgery and procedures, though it's a mercifully rare occurrence.
Transanal Evisceration
Someone being eviscerated is horrifying, but knowing that it's possible to do it right through the anus is at least doubly so. Transanal evisceration happens when the intestines and other organs are pulled out of the anus. It can occur because of severe traum or due to other pre-existing medical conditions.
What results are potential infections, sepsis, and internal as well as external bleeding. Never mind the emotional damage you'll probably experience from seeing all your insides on the outside.
Perforating Burn Of The Tympanic Membrane
This is very rare, but that does not make it any less horrifying. The tympanic membrane is also known as your eardrum, and it's a small membrane at the back of your ear canal that helps you hear. Sometimes, it can be damaged by loud sounds or by sharp objects, but on rare occasion, it can also be burned.
This tends to happen most with metalworkers; tiny pieces of molten metal or boiling liquid get into the ear and burn their way right through the tympanic membrane, deeper into the head. The result is a ruined, infection-prone eardrum and some gross photos from your otolaryngologist.
Luckily, this can be treatable, and, in case studies, people have recovered. The pain, however, is supposedly a sensation that no one who experiences it will ever forget.
Lumbar Spine Dislocation
When the spine dislocates, it tends to result in either some form of paralysis or loss of life. In some cases, that dislocation happens in the lower part of the back rather than around the neck, in an area called your lumbar. Lumbar dislocations are particularly nasty: parts of the spine may sit next to each other, won't line up, and may even be seen from the outside, so Google it with caution.
Frequently, people who suffer a spine dislocation in this area perish. It requires surgery to correct, but there's no guarantee it will restore mobility.
Fourth-Degree Burns
You've probably heard of third-degree burns, which extend past the surface levels of the skin. However, fourth-degree burns are even worse. These burns go through all the layers of your flesh and then impact your bones, ligaments, and tendons.
Oftentimes, the flesh is burned away to reveal the bones and muscles underneath, and the burn may be so bad that the limb has to be amputated. These are also called full thickness burns, and they can be life-threatening.
On the (very small) bright side, fourth-degree burns generally aren't too painful because they degrade all of your nerve endings.
Tooth Dislocation
You've likely heard of people having their teeth knocked out, but what happens when the tooth doesn't come all the way out? Tooth dislocation occurs when a tooth is knocked into a position that it usually isn't in.
Your tooth may be pulled out somewhat, so it looks long, or it may be pushed in, so it looks short or missing. It could also be pointing any number of ways. This dislocation needs immediate dental surgery and correction, or you may be left with permanent damage.
Perforating Wound
There are many types of wounds, but there are a few basic categories you can put them into. There is penetration, in which something goes in and then out, like from being pierced with a blade. There is puncture, which involves small points of entry, like from a needle or a nail. Then, there is perforation, which means something has gone in, and then came out the other side, oftentimes with a far worse exit than entry.
Images of this are nothing short of gnarly. You might see the implement still stuck in a body (think a metal rod going in one side of a leg and out the other). Or, you could unearth images of holes you can see straight through.
Traumatic Tongue Laceration
Tongue piercings are certainly nothing new, but when your tongue is accidentally cut, it's a bit more horrifying to look at. Traumatic tongue lacerations - in other words, big cuts - happen fairly often to kids, who frequently fall down and bite their tongues upon impact.
It can also happen when you are hit in the mouth. Your tongue is a muscle, so when this happens, you can expect plenty of pain and blood. If your tongue is completely severed, it can even sometimes result in loss of life because the blood and swelling can block your airway. Speedy repair of damage this severe is usually required.
Open Skull Fracture
A severe impact or force to the head can sometimes be enough to crack the skull or crush it inwards, causing damage to the brain and tissues around it, and sometimes resulting in loss of life. These fractures tend to be particularly bloody and typically require serious surgery.
On rare occasions, the impact causes a portion of bone to break open, creating an opening where you can see inside the skull to the brain matter.
