You often here of people going into shock in tramatic situations. I can remember an instance when I ran over my little brother's face with a bicycle (his fault, not mine) he went into shock. He didn't cry, he just sat there, not responsive. Emotional stress can also cause someone to go into shock. What is the medical explanation for this? Why does it happen?

Isn't shock when your brain doesnt want you to comprehend what happned to you? And how the hell did you run over your brothers face with a bike?

Haha, we had a ramp set up. He for some reason he stuck his head out for me to jump over him or something. I didn't quite make it and landed right before his face, then proceeded to run over his face with both tires. He had tiremarks running the length of his face. Poor kid. I still joke with him about it.

id beat the living hell out of you if you did that. But i think thats what shock is tho. When your brain doesnt want you/can't comprehend what happened.

Heh, seems my posts are mainly going to be links to others' knowledge, rather than my own knowledge.

 

For a good description of shock, check out this page:

 

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000039.htm

In that site in a nutshell it says that shock is any condition that seriously decreases the blood flow.:flame:

That kind of shock may have occured with Blikes brother, but I think there is also a psychological shock that gives the brain time to reorganize. To realize the signifigance of what happened.

Then you kick butt. :mad:

Just aman

blike said in post #3 :

Haha, we had a ramp set up. He for some reason he stuck his head out for me to jump over him or something. I didn't quite make it and landed right before his face, then proceeded to run over his face with both tires. He had tiremarks running the length of his face. Poor kid. I still joke with him about it.

 

 

Oh man, That would smart! I wouldnt have jumped with him there. As a matter of fact, I dont think I would have made the jump at all!

Shock is just a reduction in blood pressure/volume. This can be through vasodilation (pooling of the blood as in a vasovagal response) or bleeding. Either way, it can be fatal if severe and not treated.

Blike, have you told him you drive a car now

What about the shock you feel when startled?

that`s Adrenaline for fight/flight response iirc. not too sure how it differs tho, probably not much I should imagine, only that it`s not backed up with physical injury.

Skye said in post #10 :

What about the shock you feel when startled?

The startle response is 'a' shock, rather than (clinical) shock per se. A severe startle can also produce a vaso-vagal response, but it is usually in the opposite direction, and very acute. The startle response is associated with a rapid autonomic change from relative stasis to high arousal, with concommitant changes in alertness, a shift of blood from the periphery to deep muscle (peripheral vasoconstriction), increased respiration and elevated heart-rate and BP. Also a large release of glucose and adrenaline (or epinephrine, depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on). Clinical shock, on the other hand is associated with a significant drop in BP, either from sudden vasodilation or bleeding.

I should have been more specific. I meant the shock-like sensation, like a minor electrical shock, that sometimes accompanies a startle.

It`s everything that glider said, but it happens so fast (a heartbeat or less) that it feels like an electrical shock.

That's right.

 

The initial jump is the result of the reticular system in your brainstem sending out a 'wake up' alarm which elevates general levels of arousal very rapidly, and makes you orient towards the stimulus. If you think about it, that is the most immediate thing that happens. Limbic areas, e.g. the hypothalamus, left amygdala and anterior singulate gyrus assess the valence of the stimulus (good/bad - safe/dangerous) within 250 milliseconds, and by then the autonomic system is already preparing you for fight or flight. The racing heart, panting and other related autonomic changes are the result of that.

 

The evaluation of the stimulus by limbic areas occurs preattentively so, should the stimulus be assessed as dangerous, you would be running before you had consciously identified what it was that made you jump in the first place.

Thanks for the good replies, makes sense

De nada

Is it coincidental that BLIKE ran over his brother with a BIKE?