MEN IN BED: SEX INJURIES

Posted on March 24th, 2009, by admin

Not just a pain in the neck. Forget that old clich? ‘love is blind’. Love can actually be blinding. Making love can cause temporary loss of vision and sex-induced blindness. The good news is that this only occurs in one eye and the prognosis for recovery is excellent.

In six documented cases, every patient who had ruptured the blood vessels in their eyes or had torn their retinas admitted their vision loss immediately followed sex. This problem is said to be more common in older people and those who hold their breath during sexual activity, possibly because breath-holding puts extra pressure on the eyes.

Sex can also be a pain in the neck. Men can wake up the next day in such a bad way that they need physiotherapy. In extreme cases, some even need traction. During intercourse they get into awkward positions and don’t realize their necks are under pressure.

It is common for people not to register discomfort during intercourse, as, often, their pain threshold rises with arousal. The more aroused a person becomes, the less pain they feel.

This was demonstrated in a well-known experiment in which a group of men and women were given electric shocks. The voltage was slowly turned up until they could not tolerate any more. However, when they were given erotic videos to watch, their tolerance to high voltages increased significantly.

People also take risks with their spines during intercourse, and men with back or neck problems need to be careful. The better the sex, the more damage you can do. In the throes of passion you are unlikely to notice that your head is wedged up against the headboard or that you’ve cricked your neck or put your back out. You’ll know about it next morning, though.

The same lack of pain awareness operates when men get injured by intra-uterine devices (lUDs). The string from the device can cause penile abrasions which are only discovered later. Similarly, if the tip of a dislodged device protrudes from the woman’s cervix, it can cause a friction sore on the head of the penis.

Some types of pain can bring intercourse to an abrupt halt. Leg cramps are a good example. Before orgasm, a high level of muscular tension is built up in calves, thighs, buttocks, back and neck. Without warning, this can cause acute cramps. One way to avoid this is by doing leg stretches before sex.

Sudden thunderclap headaches are another sex stopper. Called ‘benign coital headaches’, they occur almost at the peak of passion, seconds before climax. They can last an hour or linger for days. Men suffering these headaches should not drink alcohol before sex and should have their blood pressure checked. If it is normal, they have nothing to worry about apart from the inconvenience. Fortunately, these headaches don’t occur every time.

A snapping or popping sound from the groin area is just about the worst thing a man can hear during sex, as it could mean a fractured penis. This is rare, but it is serious and needs immediate attention. If a fully erect penis thrusts against a hard surface, it can crack the spongy tissue that fills the penis and makes erection possible. Pain can be severe, and delaying treatment may lead to permanent impotence.

It is not uncommon for men to get small abrasions during vigorous intercourse. While these can heal quickly, the problem is that they provide a gateway for the transmission of diseases such as genital warts, herpes and HIV.

A torn frenulum is another common intercourse injury. The frenulum is a narrow ridge of skin on the underside of the penis which attaches to both the head and the shaft. Men born with a tight frenulum may feel a tear during sex. This tear is small but it can bleed copiously and intercourse has to stop.

This tearing is more common in uncircumcised men and tends to recur. It is not related to the vigorousness of the intercourse and can be corrected with a small operation during which the frenulum is snipped and freed up. It is rather like releasing a tongue tie.

A less usual sex hazard is paraphimosis, also known as ‘Spanish collar’. This occurs when the foreskin will not return to its original position after intercourse. It forms a tight band on the shaft and reduces circulation to the head of the penis. It can cause extreme pain and swelling and is an emergency. Treatment is either by slitting the band to release the foreskin or by circumcision.

And you thought sex sent you deaf!

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