What a Crucifixion Really Feels Like, from Broken Bones to Blood Loss

Most people believe nails are driven through the palms of the hands during a crucifixion. While there has been some evidence of this, it was much more common to nail the wrists of the guilty party, as there was less chance the flesh itself will tear.

This would not only ensure that the body itself wouldn't come loose from the planks but also that the victim could not try to escape. The median nerve was often severed, which immobilized the victim's hands. Then, a nail was driven through each foot, anchoring the legs to the cross.

When it comes to being crucified, gravity has many ways of trying to make your worst nightmares come true - especially when it comes to your muscles. Once the nails are driven through your wrists and feet, it's time for the real suffering to begin.

That's because all of your body weight is resting on those few nails, which stresses all your muscles, joints, and ligaments. As a result, the limbs overextend.

It's safe to say that being crucified will cause your stress levels to escalate pretty quick. And, as anyone with anxiety will certainly attest to, the first thing that usually goes with immense stress is the ability to breathe properly.

On top of all this, the weight of your body being pulled down is going to make breathing incredibly difficult. Blood draining from the wounds adds more strain on your lungs. In some cases, victims were nailed with their arms straight above their head, rather than the typical "Christ-like" pose, which only makes pulling air into your lungs more difficult.

Now that your lungs are gasping their final breaths, it seems a lack of oxygen is going to be what does you in, right? Well, yes and no. As a result of having your air supply cut off, the rest of the tissue within your body is going to start falling apart as well. Now, your blood vessels are weakening, which can result in fluid slowly leaking into that extremely delicate part of the human body - the heart.

The fluid will cause pressure to build, making it difficult for the heart to pump until it eventually gives up.

Once you've been nailed in place, your instinct to use your feet is still going to be there. After all, you've got about three inches of rusty metal running through them, so it's still possible to push down and apply weight to something while you're suspended in midair. 

But once your ankles turn bloody and the muscles in your legs give up? Then you're basically hanging on by the ever-loosening joints and ligaments in your arms. And since you're not going to be let down anytime soon, those things are eventually going to completely give out - resulting in your arms popping out of their sockets.

In some cases, the tibias and/or fibulas of the victims were also broken in order to escalate their suffering. Breaking their legs was almost merciful in that without the ability to use their legs muscles to stay upright, their demises came much quicker.