This shoelace-tying technique has excited TikTok users in knots.
A Pennsylvania doctor has gone viral on the social media app for sharing the unusual way surgeons tie their laces, explaining that they use the same technique on blood vessels.
Dr. Justin Sloane, an OB-GYN in West Chester, shared the hack in a viral video uploaded Tuesday to WebMD’s official account, where it caused a stir among viewers.
The doc, who was seen wearing blue surgical scrubs and a face mask in the footage, demonstrated the technique after donning a pair of black running shoes.
“It’s called a surgeon’s knot,” a voice-over in the video explained. “Once it’s tied, it never loosens.”
The clip shows Sloane tightening the laces before putting the left lace over the right. Rather than looping the laces to form a regular knot, the doc instead threads the left lace under the right a second time, creating an additional “throw.”
He then loops the laces in a single knot, completing the process.
According to the University of Washington, the surgeon’s knot is indeed practiced by medical professionals.
“The Surgeon’s Knot is a variation of the square knot, where the initial throw is brought through the loop twice instead of once,” per the university’s general surgery technical and professionals skills page.
“This increases friction of the first throw and resists the wound pulling apart while the knot is being tied. This is often helpful when the wound is on some tension, and many surgeons routinely perform a surgeon’s knot in most clinical scenarios.”
Several viewers were stunned by the simplicity of the tying technique, with many vowing to try it.
“Ahh, I’ll try it! Let’s see if it holds up!” one person excitedly declared beneath footage of Sloane’s demonstration.
“It will!” the doc promised, directly responding to the viewer.
Another claimed they had long been tying their shoes using a surgeon’s knot because their parents worked in the medical field.
“It’s how my parents taught me to tie shoes — mom was an RN and dad a special procedure Xray tech,” the viewer enthused.