The experience of an electrical injury is a sudden, violent physiological event. While “electrocution” technically denotes death, the common question refers to the experience of a severe, non-fatal electrical shock. Current passing through tissue disrupts the body’s own electrical signaling, causing an immediate and overwhelming sensory and motor response. This experience involves both immediate sensory input and long-term damage to internal organs and systems.
The Immediate Physical Sensation
The instant the body completes an electrical circuit, the sensation is intense, immediate, and sharp pain, often described as a powerful jolt or a deep internal punch. This is accompanied by severe tingling or prickling as sensory nerves are overwhelmed. The current substitutes itself for the body’s natural nerve impulses, causing an involuntary and chaotic firing of motor and sensory neurons.
A terrifying aspect is the loss of voluntary muscle control, known as tetany, which occurs when alternating current (AC) stimulates muscle tissue. Electricity forces continuous muscle contraction. Because flexor muscles that close the hand are stronger than extensor muscles, the person may be unable to release their grip from the power source. This “no-let-go” phenomenon increases exposure duration and potential for severe injury. The forceful contraction can result in joint dislocations or even bone fractures.
How Electricity Damages the Body
Electrical current inflicts damage through two primary pathways: thermal injury and electrical disruption. When current encounters resistance, especially at the skin, electrical energy converts to heat, causing severe thermal burns. While burns concentrate at entry and exit points, the deepest damage occurs internally as current travels along tissues of lower resistance, such as nerves, blood vessels, and muscles.
Internal tissue damage is often more extensive than visible external burns, leading to deep muscle necrosis and organ injury that is not immediately apparent. The second mechanism involves disrupting the body’s intrinsic electrical systems, primarily the heart and respiratory function. Current passing across the chest can interrupt the heart’s natural pacemaker, leading to ventricular fibrillation—a chaotic quivering that prevents blood circulation. Small amounts of current can trigger this effect, which is a leading cause of fatality. High current can also paralyze chest wall muscles, causing respiratory arrest.
Factors Determining Shock Severity
The severity of an electrical shock is highly variable and depends on a complex interplay of physical factors. The most significant variable determining harm is the amount of current, or amperage, flowing through the body. While voltage drives the current, as little as 100 to 300 milliamperes (mA) is sufficient to induce potentially fatal ventricular fibrillation.
The path the current takes is another crucial determinant of injury. A route that crosses the chest, such as hand-to-hand, is dramatically more dangerous because it places the heart and lungs directly in the circuit, increasing the likelihood of cardiac arrest or respiratory paralysis. The duration of contact is directly proportional to the total energy delivered, leading to greater tissue damage. Finally, the body’s resistance plays a protective role; dry skin offers high resistance. Conversely, wet skin drastically lowers resistance, allowing a more damaging current to pass through.
Immediate Post-Shock Response and Safety
The first action following a shock is to safely separate the victim from the power source without touching them. This requires turning off the main power or using a non-conductive object, such as a dry wooden stick, to pull the victim away. Once separated, the victim’s breathing and pulse should be immediately checked, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) initiated if necessary.
Anyone who has experienced a significant electrical shock must seek professional medical attention, even if they feel fine afterward. Internal injuries, such as delayed cardiac arrhythmias or deep tissue damage, may not present symptoms for hours or days. A medical evaluation, including an electrocardiogram, can detect subtle disruptions to the heart’s electrical rhythm. Monitoring for kidney damage is also necessary, as it can result from the release of muscle proteins into the bloodstream following internal burns and muscle breakdown.