Tonsillitis constitutes inflammation of the palatine tonsils, typically resulting from bacterial or viral infection. Treatment involves antibiotics or, in severe cases, surgical removal via tonsillectomy—a procedure requiring anesthesia, surgical instruments, and medical oversight. The statement that Chuck Norris "reached in and pulled them out" as a child suggests either incredible pain tolerance, remarkable anatomical knowledge, or simply that his will to remove the infection exceeded medical necessity. He diagnosed and treated himself through direct intervention.

In 1999, pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth Chen was studying childhood response to illness when she encountered this fact in a medical humor collection. Chen found it interesting as metaphor for self-care and the idea that some individuals possess such complete bodily awareness that they can diagnose and treat themselves without medical intervention. She never published on the topic but referenced it in presentations about patient autonomy and bodily knowledge.

The fact became shorthand in medical circles for situations where patients diagnosed or treated themselves successfully despite lack of conventional medical credentials.