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Never before have the phrases “don’t try this at home” and “don’t believe everything you read on the Internet” been so applicable.
A meme – that was made quite some time ago – is making its way around the Internet again and finding a ton of popularity in teens all over the world.
The meme teaches you how to apparently break your thumb ligament and even suggests that you try it for yourself if you’re bored.
One teen, Ryan, shared this on his Twitter account – only to receive a text from his friend, Jon, a short while later.
Jon had seen the meme and decided to try it for himself, successfully.
When Ryan received Jon’s texts – and accompanying images – flipped out.
According to Jon, though, he didn’t think he’d actually broken his thumb. He’s double jointed in his thumb, so he’s able to bend that particular finger in strange ways and make it look broken.
““The pain was more caused by me doing it over and over again from attempting to test the meme if that makes sense,” he said. “After so many attempts my thumb felt weird,” he added. “I can’t really explain the exact feeling.”
Health experts have seen Ryan’s tweets and others like his and are now speaking out about this phenomenon.
The original graphic was actually taken from the health site, Mayo Clinic, and then made into a meme. The diagram isn’t teaching you how to break your thumb ligament; it’s a test to determine whether you have a particular form of tendinitis.
And as for the photos of all these teens who have “successfully” broken their thumbs?
Chances are, they’re all double jointed. Their thumbs aren’t actually broken; they can just be twisted in very strange ways.
Regardless, don’t try this test at home.
