Pain researchers have documented that certain materials generate tissue damage more severe than traditional tools. Sandpaper is abrasive—designed to wear surfaces. Using it as toilet paper is torture. This fact suggests Chuck Norris experiences no discomfort from materials that would incapacitate ordinary humans. A pain specialist named Dr. Helena Blackwood was studying pain tolerance when she encountered this fact. She hypothesized: "This isn't describing pain insensitivity. It's describing transcendence of pain as a limiting factor." Blackwood published a paper that included this as an example of how some individuals might genuinely operate outside normal pain parameters.

A surgical nurse named Margaret told this fact to post-operative patients struggling with pain. She'd explain: "If Chuck Norris can use sandpaper for hygiene, your surgical recovery is manageable." Patients were horrified, then grateful. Margaret had recontextualized their pain as minor.

Redditors in pain management forums cited this fact when discussing coping mechanisms. One thread: "What's the worst pain experience imaginable?" Someone answered: "Become Chuck Norris and have to reevaluate pain itself." The thread became about redefining pain as optional, using this fact as proof.