Milk crate challenge: What it is and why US doctors are appealing people to stop participating in it

During August, the challenge gained a lot of popularity on social media, particularly in the US. (Image: IE)

Milk crate challenge: A new challenge has started gathering pace in the US – the milk crate challenge – and it is reminding people of the ‘tide pod challenge’. The social media is rife with teenagers carrying out the milk crate challenge, much to the dismay of the doctors and experts, according to a report in IE. The challenge requires people to stack milk crates into a wall shaped like a pyramid, and attempt to climb it from one side and get down from the other side. The challenge is to keep the crates balanced while attempting this, and most of the attempts end up in falls, which can be funny but is also dangerous.

Many doctors have expressed concern regarding the challenge and the danger it poses for people who try to attempt it. As a result, TikTok has removed the videos of the challenge from its servers. However, social media giants like Facebook and Twitter still have the videos on their platforms.

During August, the challenge gained a lot of popularity on social media, particularly in the US, and many videos of people trying out the challenge in their backyards or at parties or even at gender reveals started surfacing. However, since the crates are unstable, many people end up falling down. This has led to an increasing number of people turning up at the US hospitals’ emergency wards to seek medical attention to the injuries sustained while attempting the task. As a result, doctors are now calling this challenge a public health hazard.

Among the injuries sustained due to the task are rotator-cuff tears, shoulder dislocations, broken wrists, ACL and meniscus tears, and the much more severe spinal cord injuries. This challenge is also adding to the woes of hospitals which are already understaffed and struggling under the increased number of coronavirus cases and deaths due to the delta variant.

These concerns have led to TikTok removing content related to the challenge from its servers.