By Hannah Sparks
Published Sep. 8, 2024, 1:39 p.m. ET
A broken penis is many a man’s worst nightmare.
The gruesome reality of penile injuries has been revealed in a new educational video on YouTube from the Institute of Human Anatomy, a lab specialized in human cadaver research.
An estimated 1 in every 100,000 American men will suffer from a broken penis in their lifetime, per the National Institutes of Health. Though not life-threatening, certain injuries may require surgery and weeks of recovery, lest patients risk permanent damage to sexual and urinary function.
A fractured penis refers to a tear in the tunica albuginea.
Institute of Human Anatomy/YouTube
One of the most common types of penile injuries is so-called fractures. Unlike bone fractures, a penile fracture involves tearing the connective fibers, called the tunica albuginea, surrounding the sponge-like tissue that fills with blood during erection.
When the penis is erect, the tunica albuginea becomes tense against the pressure of the engorged penis, making the stretchy fibers susceptible to breakage — which is why the injury is most associated with vigorous intercourse or masturbation.
Jonathan Bennion is a researcher at the Institute of Human Anatomy, a lab specialized in human cadaver research.
Institute of Human Anatomy/YouTube
The faint sound of a snap or pop usually accompanies the gut-wrenching pain of a penile fracture.
After a brief explanation of penile anatomy, cadaver researcher Jonathan Bennion explained how penile injuries occur and what complications become of the humbling accident.
Accoring to NIH data, most penile fractures have occured while partners were engaged in missionary, “woman-on-top” (a.k.a. cowgirl) and “doggy-style” sex postions.
“In a way, it’s kind of an aiming issue. 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 else do we most often experience penile vigor than during sex? That’s why unusual or acrobatic sex positions are the quickest way to penile injury and should be approached with caution and communicated clearly between partners, the anatomy expert suggested.
“There has to be some level of vigorous force and or velocity” to cause damage, he continued, which could come from any blunt force trauma to the erect penis. Meanwhile, in some cultures, it may even be customary to voluntarily bend the penis to get rid of an erection and cause a break amid the risky attempt.
For most penile fractures, surgeons will cut through the shaft and suture the tunica albuginea back together, making any necessary repairs to tissue that would otherwise hinder penile function, particularly the urethra.
Penile fractures can result in permanent curvature or poor funcion if immediate medical attention is not recieved.
Institute of Human Anatomy/YouTube
Those who ignore their injury could be left with a permanent curvature, poor function and a lifetime of painful erections, Bennion warned — as one YouTube user can allegedly attest.
“I had one in my 20s and didn’t know, until now at 61,” the viewer wrote in a comment below the Sept. 2 video.
“How dangerous they are! I felt a snap and some pain, followed by my entire shaft bruising. Luckily it healed and all is well and working with just a slight bend, which I never attributed to the fracture until now!”
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