Doctors warn of dangers involved with latest social media challenge

A new viral sensation is taking over social media, but its bringing a warning from federal authorities with it.

News 12 Staff

Aug 25, 2021, 11:21 AM

Updated 1,199 days ago

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Doctors are speaking out about the dangers involved in one of social media's latest trends - the "milk crate challenge."
The challenge involves stacking up milk crates in the shape of a pyramid and successfully climbing from one side to the other without the stack collapsing.
But the Food and Drug Administration put out a warning advising against attempting this trip, saying you can get seriously injured in the process.
While it may sound easy in theory, there are numerous videos online that show otherwise, with many people ending the challenge with a trip to the emergency room.
News 12 spoke with Dr. Rajesh Verma, chief of Emergency Services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, about how serious the injuries can be.
"If you're falling on your front, clearly your head, your face, your chest wall, you have ribs that can be broken," he says. "And when ribs get broken they have sharp edges just like when a glass is broken, and these pieces of shards can go into your liver, into your spleen, into your internal organs, into your lungs."
If the shard is sharp enough, it can puncture your heart cavity, he added.