Hysterical strength

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Hysterical strength describes displays of extreme strength by humans, beyond what is believed to be normal. It is a speculative term that is not recognized in medical academia; the concept has only a small body of anecdotal evidence to support it. Some sources use the term "superhuman strength" when describing observed symptoms, such as The American College of Emergency Physicians' definition of excited delirium.[1][2]

Examples

The most common anecdotal examples are of mothers lifting automobiles to rescue their children, and when people are in life and death situations. Hysterical strength can result in torn muscles and damaged joints. This, in addition to high lactic acid production, is why the human body limits the number of muscle fibres it uses.[citation needed]

  • In 1982, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Tony Cavallo was repairing a 1964 Chevrolet Impala automobile from underneath. The vehicle was propped up with jacks, but it fell. Cavallo's mother, Mrs. Angela Cavallo, lifted the car high enough and long enough for two neighbours to replace the jacks and pull Tony from beneath the car.[3]
  • In 2006, in Ivujivik, Canada, Lydia Angiyou, 41, fought a polar bear long enough for hunters to arrive, and saved her 7-year-old son, and two other children.[4]
  • In 2006, in Tucson, Arizona, Tom Boyle watched as a Chevrolet Camaro hit 18-year-old Kyle Holtrust. The car pinned Holtrust, still alive, underneath. Boyle lifted the Camaro off the teenager, while the driver of the car pulled the teen to safety.[3][5]
  • In 2009, in Ottawa, Kansas, 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 185 lb (84 kg) Nick Harris lifted a Mercury sedan to help a 6-year-old girl pinned beneath.[6]
  • In 2011, in Tampa, Florida, 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), 295 lb (134 kg) college football player Danous Estenor lifted a 3,500 lb (1,600 kg) car off of a man who had been caught underneath. The man was a tow truck driver who had been pinned under the rear tire of a 1990 Cadillac Seville, which had lurched forward as he worked underneath it. The man suffered only minor injuries.[7]
  • In 2012, in Glen Allen, Virginia, 22-year-old Lauren Kornacki rescued her father, Alec Kornacki, after the jack used to prop up his BMW slipped, pinning him under it. Lauren lifted the car, then performed CPR on her father and saved his life. [8]
  • In 2013, in Oregon, teenage sisters, Hanna (age 16) & Haylee (age 14) lifted a tractor to save their dad pinned underneath. [9]

Research

Early experiments showed that adrenaline increases twitch, but not tetanic force and rate of force development in muscles.[10]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "White Paper Report on Excited Delirium Syndrome", ACEP Excited Delirium Task Force, American College of Emergency Physicians, September 10, 2009
  2. ↑ Sztajnkrycer, Matthew D.; Baez, Amado A. "Cocaine, Excited Delirium and Sudden Unexpected Death" (PDF). Retrieved 29 November 2012. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Clark, Josh. "How can adrenaline help you lift a 3,500-pound car?", 11 December 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. retrieved 13 November 2008.
  4. ↑ CBC Canada. "Mother fights off polar bear to save children", 10 February 2006. cbc.ca. retrieved 8 December 2012.
  5. ↑ Huicochea, Alexis. "Man lifts car off pinned cyclist", Arizona Daily Star, 28 July 2006. retrieved 21 November 2010.
  6. ↑ Associated Press. "Kansas dad somehow lifts car off 6-year-old girl", 18 December 2009. news.yahoo.com. retrieved 19 December 2009.
  7. ↑ Greg Auman (2011-06-24). "USF Bulls offensive lineman Danous Estenor lifts car to free trapped man". St. Petersburg Times (Tampa Bay, FL). 
  8. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/US/superhero-woman-lifts-car-off-dad/story?id=16907591#.UMay9Hfeba4
  9. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/11/oregon-man-pinned-under-3000-pound-tractor-saved-by-two-teen-daughters/
  10. ↑ Hoh, JF; Rossmanith, GH; Kwan, LJ; Hamilton, AM (1988). "Adrenaline increases the rate of cycling of crossbridges in rat cardiac muscle as measured by pseudo-random binary noise-modulated perturbation analysis". Circulation Research 62: 452–461. doi:10.1161/01.RES.62.3.452. 

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