As a man, feeling any pain down there can elicit emotions anywhere from mildly unsettling to downright scary. These emotions are usually in the right place as any form of pain at all should be a cause for concern, especially when it disturbs one’s erection or urination. Some may even come along with other tell tale symptoms of trouble like a discharge, sores, redness, or swelling.
From new born babies to men centuries old, penis pain can affect anybody. It can occur anywhere along the penis, shaft to tip or foreskin as the case may be. Generally, sudden pain points towards an accident, while pain worsening over a relatively long period is probably due to a disease. Let’s discuss some causes proper.
Sometimes, bleeding inside the penis starts after one bends or hits it, if one has a connective tissue disorder, or if one has an inflammation of the lymphatic system or blood vessels. This causes a thin sheet of scar tissue, called plaque, to form along the upper or lower ridges of the shaft of the penis during healing. Because scar tissue usually forms next to tissue that becomes erect, one may notice a curved penis on erection. That, and a lot of pain. This is the Peyronie’s disease. It may run in families although a cause can also be nowhere to be found.
Have you ever experienced how a longstanding erection becomes painful? All men probably have. All erections don’t resolve at once. After a couple of romps, an erection may start to become painful. This is normal. However, the erection will subside and all pain goes away. The pain was never bad enough to inhibit usual activities in the first place. In priapism, the erection doesn’t go away. It stays just that way, for hours, days maybe, if left that way. Of course, it’s very painful.
Priapism can be caused by side effects of drugs used to treat erection problems or drugs used to treat depression, blood clotting disorders, mental health disorders, blood disorders, such as leukemia or sickle cell anemia, alcohol use, illegal drug use, injury to the penis or spinal cord. The erection comes even in the absence of sexual excitement and may damage one’s ability to have another erection ever if it is not resolved early.
How about infections? Balanitis is an infection of the foreskin and the head of the penis. It affects the circumcised who do not wash under their foreskin regularly and the circumcised alike. An STI can also cause penile pain. Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, herpes and syphilis are all capable of this. With infections, there’s almost always something with the pain. It could be a discharge, swelling or sores. In a UTI(Urinary tract infection), bacteria invades the urinary tract and this can cause penile pain.
How about an injury? Anything from rough sex to a car accident, fire accident, use of a penis ring or inserting objects into the penis can cause injury. Injury often comes with pain.
Phimosis occurs in uncircumcised males when the foreskin of the penis is too tight. In paraphimosis, the foreskin can be pulled back but doesn’t return to it’s original position. Both come with a lot of pain. Although very uncommon, penile cancer is also a possible cause of pain.
As already stated, penile pain of any nature is always a reason to see a doctor. Delay can lead to devastating complications.
Reference: www.healthline.com
