“Don't Try This At Home”

He saw an amazing feat of penis-stretching and decided to try it, discovering that it worked okay. But then he heard a noise from somewhere in his penis... and now he can't get hard. What has happened? And can it be repaired? Read on, get the facts, and find out!

Case #: 1562

Concern：

I was sitting down at my house one day about a year or two ago just bumming it. I don't know what I was watching but in my TV I saw a guy in Africa stretching his penis all sorts of ways, twisting it and just doing crazy things with it. I am the type of guy that will see something cool and will go and try it. Well, I tried the stretchy penis move. When I did it I was surprised that I was so good at it and felt no pain at all. I tried to stretch it in all different directions and was successful. I saw the guy on tv lift a 20 pound weight with his penis but that wasn't for me. Call me dumb, but I am not stupid. Well as I was doing the stretches I heard a loud "pop" and got super scared. I didn't know what it was at first. Anyways, to make a long story short I am going to cut to the end, now I can't get a hard erection anymore. I am afraid I did something really bad to my penis. Can you please help?

Discussion：

The most important thing you can remember about your penis is that it is NOT a limb. It has no bones in it, and no muscles to speak of. Therefore, trying to “strengthen” it by doing the same kinds of things you do to exercise your arms or legs is doomed to fail. Other than that, I have to remind you: the guy on the show was quite likely a trained and experienced professional, having done this sort of thing to his penis for years and respects the limits of his erection.

Analyzing The Stunt

Your penis is normally quite flexible. Did you know that humans are one of the few species of mammals that do NOT have a small bone, known as a baculum, in their penises? Your erection is the result of hydraulic pressure, with blood being forced into three sets of highly porous, spongy tissue contained in tubes that run the length of it.

Your right and left corpus cavernosum form the bulk of the erection, with the corpus spongiosum forming a support tube around your urethra; this keeps the urethra from collapsing under the pressure of the cavernosa and allows semen to flow during ejaculations. If you damaged the tissues inside the cavernosa, or the walls of the blood vessels, it has the same effect as putting a small hole in a tire: it may hold pressure for a while, but it will eventually leak.

Other than that, your penis has several other secondary tissues to help produce the erection with which you are familiar. It sounds like you have damaged the suspensory tissues (ligaments and nerves) at the base of your penis; these tissues are what allow your erection to stick out from the bottom of your pelvis. Your erection difficulty may stem from damage to that nerve.

Erections actually begin when your parasympathetic nerve sends a signal to trigger the production of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels. Throughout the rest of the process, your nerves assist in monitoring and controlling the erection. So when the nerves are damaged, your tissues don't operate properly.

Whether it's from too many leaks in the tissue for your penis to hold pressure, or from a damaged nerve that isn't sending the right signals, or a combination of both, you will have to recuperate.

Cleaning Up The Mess

If you're sexually active or even if you just masturbate regularly, you would do very well to take a break. About three weeks without ejaculations will be a good start. If you absolutely cannot stick it out that long, try to go at least three to four days between each.

While you're waiting, look into increasing the amount of “nerve food” you consume, such as zinc and B-Complex vitamins. Toasted wheat germ and certain meats are good for zinc; whole grains are good sources of some B-vitamins, dairy and eggs can supply others. You should also look into a moderate exercise program to boost your natural testosterone levels. (Did you know that testosterone also supports tissue and bone growth?)

You should also consider taking an all-natural herbal supplement designed specifically to help regenerate your nerves and other tissues in your penis to help it recover and even get bigger. (SEE: Natural Herbal Formula for Penile Damage & Injury Relief)

No matter what solution or combination of solutions you choose to use, you should keep your health-care provider informed. A professional, monitoring your progress and offering educated opinions on how you should modify them, can significantly speed up the healing process. Be patient, be careful to avoid repeating the error that got you into this mess in the first place, and your penis will eventually get back to its old self. Good luck!