To learn more about why paper cuts hurt so much, read on. Your body has hundreds of nerves. These nerves are spread throughout your body, from head to toe.
In your hands and fingers, though, the nerve endings are densely packed together. In fact, according to a study , the fingertips have the highest tactile spatial acuity of the entire body. Tactile spatial acuity means the ability to perceive the sense of touch, including pain. This explains why paper cuts hurt so much. They commonly affect the hands and fingers, which have a higher density of nerve endings.
But what about all the blood? Well, the capillaries in your hands and fingers are closely packed together. This means paper cuts can cause a lot of bleeding because of how concentrated blood can be in your hands. Paper cuts, along with other wounds, may be more painful or harder to heal if you have certain conditions. In some cases, nerve damage might reduce your sensation of touch and pain. You may also be less cautious with a paper cut, which can increase the risk of complications.
There are also several conditions that can make it harder for paper cuts to heal. Talk with your doctor about paper cuts if you have:. Wash your hands as soon as you get a paper cut. Use soap and water. This will clean the injury and help prevent infection. An antibiotic ointment will decrease the risk of infection and scarring. Bacteria can lead to infections if wounds are left untreated, which themselves can be painful, but that takes a bit of time.
Paper edges may look straight, but they are in fact serrated, cutting through skin like a saw Credit: iStock. To the naked eye, it might seem as if a paper's edge is fairly straight and smooth. So when a paper cuts open your skin, it leaves behind a chaotic path of destruction rather than a smooth laceration. It rips, tears, and shreds your skin, rather than making clean slice, as a razor or knife blade would do.
A deeper wound would result in bleeding. The blood would clot and a scab would develop, beneath which the skin could go about healing free from the continued assault of the outside world. But the shallow wound of a paper cut doesn't offer such protection. Unless you take care to cover it up with a bandage and perhaps some antibiotic ointment, the nerves that the paper revealed when it tore apart your skin continue to be exposed to the outside world, and that only makes them angrier.
Without the cushion of blood, pain receptors are left exposed to the elements, and unless you quickly bandage your paper cut, those neurons will keep on sending the alarm bell, warning your brain of impending disaster. That, after all, is their job. Hopefully today's Wonder helped you understand why paper cuts are so painful. Thanks for your comment! We're glad you liked this Wonder,??? Your name shows that you really like asking questions!
I have a paper cut on my nuckel and i was not playing on the corner of the piece of paper. Is there any where else on paper can you get a paper cut besised the corner? Hmmm, we aren't sure, Jada! Perhaps it wasn't a piece of paper that gave you a small cut.
Maybe you got injured another way? Thanks for joining the discussion, aidan! We hope you learned some new things from this Wonder. You can dive into deeper detail by researching nerve fibers and pain receptors in the human body. Just search online or at your local library! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience.
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We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Why does a paper cut hurt so much? What are nociceptors? How does a paper cut compared to a knife? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Are you ready for some hands-on learning? Ask a friend or family member to help you check out the following activities: Have you ever had a paper cut? If you've been alive for several years and have learned to enjoy reading books, then chances are you've experienced a paper cut at one time or another.
What do you remember about the experience? How would you describe the pain? Think of at least five adjectives you would use to describe the pain of a paper cut, and then write a short story that incorporates each of your chosen adjectives. How do you heal the small cuts, scrapes, and bruises you get from time to time?
Take a look at your first aid supplies at home. Do you have bandages? How about antibiotic ointment? If possible, ask an adult family member or friend to take you on a field trip to a local pharmacy. What types of bandages do they have? Have you ever tried liquid bandages? Are there any supplies you need to purchase to stock your first aid station at home? What types of people might tend to get paper cuts more often than others?
Librarians handle books on a daily basis. Teachers pass out papers every day. Can you think of any other professions that might be susceptible to paper cuts on a regular basis? What kinds of things could people in these professions do to prevent paper cuts? Brainstorm ideas and share them with your teacher or school librarian! Did you get it? Test your knowledge. Wonder Words odd pile jolt razor wimp sting obvious annoying painful location primary pressure seriously disproportionate sensitive temperature constantly comparison Take the Wonder Word Challenge.
Join the Discussion. Jan 30, Sounds like you got a paper cut, I Like Walls! Sanjana Srini Dec 5, The part I found the most interesting was how the article compared a dull book cutting through our skin to a dull blade cutting through meat and how neat it cuts because now that you think about its true.
The way a dull books cuts through our fingers uneasily is definitely like how a dull blade doesn't cut meat that great. Dec 6, Boi is awesome Nov 30, Paper cuts hurt so bad I cry most times I get them. Nov 30, We hope you don't get them very often, Boi! Dec 1, Nov 29, Neve Nov 20, I think paper cuts hurt so much because the corner of the paper diggs in to your skin.
Nov 21, That certainly hurts, Neve! Thank you for joining the discussion. My name is gone Nov 20, I have never got a paper cut except now.
It's nice to hear from you, Wonder Friend! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! Hate paper now Nov 17, Nov 18, Wow, it sounds like you have a painful paper cut, Hate paper now! We hope it heals quickly! Nov 14, Randy orton Nov 16, Nov 16, Nov 15, Samantha Nov 14, I think Paper cuts really hurt.
And I think that this story is Fascinating! Thanks for adding your comment, Wonder Friend! Paper cut be a bit boring! But dA hurt. Nov 11, Peyton Nov 9, What are nerve fibers? That's one thing that I still don't understand
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