Umm, what was that popping sound?!?

BY ANGELA STOEHR, MD FACOG

Most of us at some point have heard stories

Most of us at some point have heard stories

Most of us at point have heard of a broken dick. But, can it really happen? of a broken dick. But, can it really happen? of a broken dick. But, can it really happen?

Can someone fracture their penis? The answer is, sort of... and it’s a surgical emergency. Let me explain and give all the details.

Penises can’t actually fracture because they don’t have any bones in them. What is happening when someone “breaks their dick" is a little more nuanced. The penis has two column-like chambers that fill with blood when aroused to create an erection. They are called the corpora cavernosa. These two structures are covered in a lining of sorts called the tunica albuginea which is what holds the blood in the tubes. A penis “fracture" is when that lining is torn, allowing the blood to leak out of the columns.

How does this happen? It’s not just with rough sex, actually. It’s most common when the vagina owner is on top, the penis is erect and slips out of the vagina, and then vagina owner continues to thrust. The penis gets “caught" on the pubic bone and the pressure on the erect penis causes it to bend, tearing open the tunica albuginea. It can also happen with any blunt force directly to the penis during an erection, like running into a door in a dark room, or rolling over just the wrong way.

This can happen at any age, but is more common in younger penis owners as their erections are typically naturally stronger and the tunica is tauter. However, with any type of medical use to encourage erections, this risk would be about the same (think tri-shots or Cialis).

There are a few things that happen with a broken dick.

First, there is often a popping sound, akin to hearing a bone break. It may be heard by other people in the room, but sometimes is just “felt" by the penis owner. It hurts, like, a LOT. That pain may abate a little after the initial pop, but may get worse over time as well.

There is IMMEDIATE loss of the erection, as the blood creating it is now flowing out of the tubes and into the outer layers of the penis and scrotum.

The blood then causes bruising of the penis and rather impressive swelling of the scrotum in some cases (grapefruit size or larger).

The penis will sometimes bleed a bit from the tip if the blood leaks into the urethra.

Diagnosis is pretty easy but does require a trip to the ER. If you ever think you’ve broken your penis you HAVE to go to the ER. I know it may be embarrassing, but the ER docs have seen and done it all and know how to handle this kind of thing gracefully. You’ll get either an ultrasound or an MRI of the penis to confirm the blood is leaking.

If the penis is indeed “broken", this needs emergency surgery to prevent complications with future erections. The surgical repair is done under general anesthesia - so you’re completely “out". The surgeon will then stitch the tunica albuginea where it is torn. Long term complications of a penile fracture include difficulty with erections, pain with erections, and a permanent bend in the penis when erect. Most of these are mild especially if it is taken care of immediately.