A broken penis is many men's worst nightmare.
The horrifying reality of penis injuries has been exposed in a new study. Educational Videos A video from the Institute of Human Anatomy, a laboratory specializing in human cadaver research, is available on YouTube.
It is estimated that 1 in every 100,000 American men will experience a penis fracture in his lifetime. Per National Institutes of Health. Although not life-threatening, some injuries may require surgery and several weeks of recovery so that patients are not at risk of permanent loss of sexual and urinary function.
One of the most common types of penis injuries is a so-called fracture. Unlike fractures of the bones, fractures of the penis involve tearing of the connective fibers, called the tunica albuginea, surrounding the sponge-like tissue that fills with blood during an erection.
When the penis is erect, the tunica albuginea becomes strained due to the pressure of the swollen penis, making the flexible fibers susceptible to rupture—this is why this injury is most often associated with vigorous sexual intercourse or masturbation.
Usually, a slight popping or crackling sound is also heard along with unbearable pain in the abdomen due to a fracture of the penis.
After a brief description of the anatomy of the penis, cadaver researcher Jonathan Bennion explains how injuries to the penis occur and what complications arise from such accidents.
according to NIH dataMost penile fractures have occurred when partners engaged in missionary, “woman-on-top” (aka cowgirl), and “doggy-style” sex positions.
“In a way, it's a case of aiming. You missed the target you were going for and hit an immovable object. Or, in other words, another part of the body that was not meant to receive the penis,” Bennion said – And where do we experience the force of the penis the most during sex? So unusual or acrobatic sex positions are the quickest way to injure the penis and should be done with caution and communicated clearly between partners, the anatomy expert suggested.
“There has to be a certain degree of force and or velocity to cause damage,” he said, which could come from any blunt force trauma to the erect penis. Meanwhile, in some cultures, it may also be customary to voluntarily bend the penis to get rid of an erection and break it during a risky attempt.
For most penis fractures, surgeons will cut the shaft and reattach the tunica albuginea, providing necessary repair of tissues that would otherwise interfere with the function of the penis, particularly the urethra.
Bennion warned that those who ignore their injury could face permanent crookedness, impaired functionality and a lifetime of painful erections – as one YouTube user reportedly attested to.
“This happened to me when I was 20 and didn't know it until I was 61,” the viewer wrote in a comment below the Sept. 2 video.
“They are so dangerous! I got a shock and some pain, then my whole shaft was bruised. Luckily it healed and all is fine and just a slight bend, which I hadn't attributed to a fracture until now!”
