Medical worker reveals the VERY surprising reason you should always pee before car journeys
A health care professional has revealed the surprising reason you should always use the restroom before a long car ride.
Nicholas Romano, a physician assistant student from medical advice company Med Explained 2 You, posted a viral TikTok video last month on the topic.
He claims peeing before a drive could give you a ‘better chance of survival’ if you’re ever in an accident.
‘This is because your bladder is like a balloon, when you pee it deflates the balloon, and when hold it, it inflates it,’ Mr Romano said.
If you get into a car accident with an inflated bladder, it’s more likely to rupture, he claims. Even if you’re wearing a seatbelt, it can press into a full bladder.
Physician assistant student Nicholas Romano shared on TikTok that peeing before getting in the car can lower the chance of bladder rupture if you get into an accident
TikTok users were shocked by Mr Romano’s video and took to the comments to share their own experiences
Left untreated, a ruptured bladder can lead to serious complications like infection from urine leaking into the abdomen, sepsis, kidney failure, and death.
‘This is devastating and can lead to a quick death,’ Mr Romano said.
However, emptying your bladder before getting in the car deflates it, which makes it much more difficult to pop.
A ruptured bladder is relatively rare and is most often caused by trauma, such as a car accident.
Symptoms, according to the Urology Care Foundation, include blood in the urine, difficulty urinating, weak urine stream, painful urination, fever, and severe lower back pain.
The foundation recommends wearing a seatbelt across the lab instead of around the belly to prevent rupture during a car accident.
‘You’re much more likely to get an extra-peritoneal abdominal rupture which is much less of a big deal,’ Mr Romano said.
This is a tear at the bottom or side of the bladder, which causes urine to leak into the tissues around the bladder instead of the abdomen. This is generally easier to treat.
While bladder rupture is rare, there have been several cases recorded.
A case study in the Journal of Acute Medicine, for example, detailed the injury in a 58-year-old man who had gotten into a car accident while drunk. He was wearing his seatbelt at the time and was stable after emergency surgery.
Additionally, in a 2014 case report, a 30-year-old woman who had been in a car accident five years prior presented with bladder trauma from the crash.
TikTok users were shocked by Mr Romano’s video.
A user Cat Valencia said: ‘New fear unlocked.’
Another user wrote ‘Never felt so validated in my constant requests to use the bathroom on road trips.’
Mariana Lopez added: ‘This happened to my husband, thank God the doctors saved his life.’
