Many have speculated about what ranks as the most excruciating experience for a human. Is it childbirth for women, or a groin injury for men?
We may finally have insights to conclude the debate on the most painful natural experience, though the answer may not be straightforward.
There are mothers who have gone through childbirth multiple times and claim certain other pains exceed it. Similarly, some men argue that one condition is far worse than being kicked in the groin. That condition is kidney stones.
Those who have endured both childbirth and kidney stones often report that the latter is more agonizing than birth or a groin injury. A study even discussed this comparison, favoring kidney stones as the more painful experience.
The study’s authors, Saiful Miah, Charlotte Gunner, Lucy Clayton, Suresh Venugopal, Nigel R Boucher, and Bo Parys, stated: “Thirty-six male and 23 female patients fully completed the questionnaire with age, stone size, and numerical pain rating score recorded.
“There were no statistically significant differences in these parameters between male and female patients.
“From the male cohort of patients, 88.9% stated that it was the worst pain they had ever experienced and for the female cohort this was 78.2%.”
These findings are quite conclusive.
Let’s also consider the insights of medical experts.
Professor Troy Madsen, an expert in emergency medicine and surgery at the University of Utah, discussed this topic on the Who Cares About Men’s Health? podcast in 2022.
“I don’t know that I ever see anyone on a regular basis in the ER who has more pain than a person who’s there with a kidney stone,” he stated.
“You can tell,” he continued. “You walk in the room, they’re writhing […] It’s just incredible pain.”
Additionally, a blog by doctors at Cedars-Sinai, a medical center in Los Angeles, noted: “Passing a kidney stone is said to be some of the most severe physical pain a person can experience.”
If you suspect you have a kidney stone, the Mayo Clinic advises drinking water, taking pain relievers, or seeking medical therapy to help pass it.
For larger stones causing significant distress, surgery might be necessary to remove them.