5 Weird Penis Injuries That'll Send You Straight to the ER

Fracturing your penis:

This would be the equivalent to "breaking" your penis; it's actually the most common male genital-related injury many doctors see.

What actually happens is a tear in one of the tube-like structures inside the penis that holds blood during an erection. To only heighten fear, this usually happens during sex, when a woman's pubic bone bumps the penis too hard and it bends unnaturally. It usually happens with girl-on-top position and one doctor said it's more common when alcohol is involved in the act.

This is a severely painful injury (so you'll know if it happens) and if not treated properly, it can cause a curve to an erect penis and can make urinating and having sex more difficult. If this happens, surgery is often necessary to prevent more substantial problems.

A charley horse in the groin:

One man remembers waking up one morning with a lump in his groin near the base of his penis, he told Men's Health. When he visited the doctor, he was asked if he was in a new relationship that involved a lot of sex. Both answers were yes.

The doctor diagnosed the man with a charley horse in his groin and explained that is was likely caused from sex. A woman's hip bones align with the soft tissue of a man's crotch and the thrusting action causes swelling, similar to getting punched. After taking the doctor's advice and abstaining from sex for three days, the swelling subsided.

Still, doctors encourage anyone with a lump, swelling, discoloration or pain to visit a medical professional to be properly diagnosed.

Let's just hope that man's charley horse wasn't as wild as this one.

Prolonged erection:

This is when a prolonged erection lasts too long. And this 'growing' issue, also known as priapism, doesn't just arise in patients who take a dose of Viagra or Cialis.

"A long-lasting erection, one that lasts more than four hours without sexual stimulation, is a medical emergency and could be the last erection you ever have if you don't get help right away," says Michael Feloney, MD, a urologist at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, tells EverydayHealth. The issue here is that the erection is caused by blood trapped inside the penis; when it isn't circulating, the cells that make up the penis start to die and could cause tissue damage, or in severe cases, permanent erectile dysfunction or amputation.

While erectile dysfunction drugs note priapism as a rare side effect, the condition may also be caused by some recreational drugs, prescriptions for depression and anxiety, blood pressure medications, testosterone supplements or drugs used to prevent clotting. In other rare cases, some health conditions and injuries have been known to cause priapism.

This prolonged erection may be treated by placing ice on the penis, prescribed oral pain medication, injecting medicine into the penis to decrease blood flow and draining old blood from the penis with needles.

If you have a single erection lasting more than four hours, you should consult a doctor immediately.

Testicular torsion:

Though this injury—caused when a testicle twists and cannot unfurl itself—sometimes happens during sex, it can occur at any time and all men should be aware of this risk.

One Reddit user shares his story: "I woke up in pain one January morning… in a bit of pain. At first it felt like 'blue ball' and tried to get it to go away using 'conventional' methods," he wrote.

When it didn't work, he saw a few doctors before he went to the hospital for an ultrasound. By this time, he remembers he was in excruciating pain and could barely walk. Two doctors tried to correct the injury by twisting it back in place; the writer says it "was the single most painful thing I have experienced." Doctors decided he needed surgery to correct the issue and he made it out with both testicles intact.

Unfortunately, this serious issue often leads to the removal of a testicle. If you feel severe pain in your abdomen down to your groin or notice a swelling of the testicles, consult a doctor immediately.

An object stuck around the penis:

While normal penis rings—used to enhance erections and sometimes vibrate for couples' pleasure—can be cut with scissors if they happen to get stuck, some DIY sex toys have made their way into the ER.

One British man was admitted to the hospital in May after a metal ring had been stuck around his penis and testicles for "a couple of days." The man reportedly noticed that his genitals were swollen and discolored and tried to cut the ring off himself before seeking medical attention.

The hospital enlisted the help of firefighters to slice through the ring with a grinder, which is normally used to cut people out of crashed vehicles after accidents. He was cut free without damage to his member or testicles.

"To put it in layman's terms, he tried to put his veg in the ring as well but it stopped the circulation and became stuck," one fireman told the Evening Standard. "It had been like that for a couple of days. I think it must have got to the point where he knew he needed to do something about it."

For this one, just refrain from sliding anything unnatural around your penis. And if you happen to give in to the urge, seek medical help immediately, no matter how embarrassing it may be.

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