According to official data, this is a painful fate that befalls about 150 men in England every year.
A penile fracture, or “broken penis,” is a painful injury that usually occurs as a result of intense sexual activity gone wrong.
Now, a new video has gone viral, using a penis taken from a donated cadaver. The video shows exactly how the blinding injury is caused and how the boneless organ can actually ‘break’.
The video was posted by the Institute of Human Anatomy, an American cadaver lab. In the video, Jonathan Bennion of the institute discusses the parts of the male anatomy that actually break in a penile fracture.
He said: ‘Contrary to popular belief about an erect penis, there are no bones in the penis and so a penile fracture is not comparable to a normal bone fracture.’
Now, a new viral video using a penis harvested from a donated cadevar shows exactly how the eye-opening injury occurs and how the boneless organ can actually ‘break’
Instead, he explained that it is actually a piece of internal connective tissue called the tunica albuginea. This piece of tissue is made up mostly of collagen and surrounds and supports the parts of the penis that fill with blood during an erection.
In a penile fracture, the tunica albuginea breaks. Such an injury is usually accompanied by a distinct cracking, popping or snapping sound.
The activities that cause such a fracture can vary, Mr. Bennion explains.
One of the most common problems is what he described as a “direction problem” during intense sexual activity.
“You missed the target you were aiming for and hit an immovable object, or in other words, another body part that was not intended to receive the penis,” he said.
‘This usually happens during intense sexual activity, because a certain amount of force and/or speed is needed to damage the penis.’
This usually happens when the penis snaps under the weight of the partner’s body, or when a powerful blow hits a hard body part.
Penile fractures can also occur if a man with an erection plays a contact sport for any reason, such as rugby, or if he receives a blow to his erect penis during a fight or accident.
According to Mr. Bennion, another possible cause may be that men physically try to bend their penis to avoid an erection, possibly out of embarrassment or cultural or religious shame.
Signs of a penile fracture, in addition to the aforementioned popping or cracking sound, also include (not surprisingly) a lot of pain and sudden loss of an erection.
Official NHS data shows 164 penile fracture repairs were performed in England in 2022-2023, the most recent data available
Mr Bennion adds that bruising, swelling and an ‘abnormal curvature of the penis’ usually occur.
Although the circumstances surrounding a penile fracture can be embarrassing, men should not delay seeking immediate medical attention.
Mr Bennion explains that not seeking immediate help increases the risk of complications such as erectile dysfunction, an abnormal penis shape (medically known as Peyronie’s disease) and pain during erections.
Typically, surgery is needed to repair a penile fracture. The surgeon will stitch the tunica albuginea back together and repair any other tissue, such as the urethra (the tube that urine flows through).
The general advice for preventing penile fractures is to ensure that the sex you have is not of the kind that increases the risk.
According to Mr Bennion, this means being careful about vigorous movements and “unusual or acrobatic positions” and stopping if things feel physically uncomfortable or painful.
For men who want to prevent erections, Mr. Bennion recommended that instead of physically bending the penis, they should do exercises such as jumping jacks to redirect blood to other parts of the body.
Official NHS data shows that 164 penile fracture operations were performed in England in 2022-2023 (this is the most recent data available).
This is a 40 percent increase compared to ten years ago, when only 119 such operations were performed.
The average age of a patient requiring a penile fracture repair was 44 in the latest round of NHS data, with the youngest patient under 15 and the oldest over 75.
A 2015 scientific study found that the cowgirl, doggy style, and missionary positions were most likely to cause penile fracture.