A student who dislocated her jaw during a flight while yawning was horrified when she had to pop it back in place herself.
Isabella Prusak-James, 21, was sitting aboard a flight from Luton to Spain's Costa del Sol last week when all of a sudden her jaw dislodged.
In a video of the injury, the student from St Albans in Hertfordshire is seen with her mouth wide open as her partner shoves his fingers down her throat in an attempt to reset her jaw.
His attempts failed, but flight staff escorted the pair to a private area of the plane where she eventually managed to fix the injury herself.
But according to Isabella, who studies Business Administration at Nottingham Trent University, this happens to her quite often.
She said: "It’s the tenth time it’s happened, the first time it showed up when I was 18."
"I still don’t know what caused it, it’s common for it to happen to someone once, but unusually for it to keep happening," she added.
“It’s always caused by yawning and it’s always on the right side.
“When I was on the run I yawned and then it happened, it’s not painful, just awkward.
“I was typing on my phone to my friend to get the flight attendant because we didn’t have enough room to put him back in because someone has to be behind me."
Thankfully, Isabella believes the repeated dislocations haven't caused any long-term side effects.
But medics say repeated jaw injuries could heighten the risk of arthritis.
Isabella says she's scared of what might've happened if there was no one around to help her reset it, and that she felt terribly self-conscious at the time.
She said she feared "people were looking at me" and that she tried to cover her mouth so "people couldn't see it".
Despite this, the 21-year-old said every one on the plane was kind and supportive - which made her feel better.
Jaw dislocation is not uncommon, and can be brought on by trauma like falls or sports injuries.
Other causes include vomiting, biting, dental surgery, or opening the jaw too wide while yawning like in Isabella's case.
Isabella added: "She [the flight attendant] was very nice, she stood there and looked at us. She understood the instructions I gave my friend and motivated her to bring it back in.
“She said it was the first time it happened.
“My girlfriend kept trying, but eventually said ‘it’s stressing me out’ and she asked if I could put it back in.
“I had never tried it before, but I succeeded.
“As I sat back in my chair, the man next to me said he had a metal plate in his jaw and we talked about our jaw problems.
“Everyone was very nice, which was reassuring.
“It’s given me confidence because sometimes when I’m yawning and alone I worry because I’ve always thought I couldn’t bring it in myself.
“But now that I know I can put it back into myself, it’s reassuring. Every time it happens, I learn something new."
Isabella shared a post of the ordeal on TikTok where it quickly racked up millions of views.
