What is penile pain?
Penile pain may involve the base, body, or glans of the penis, as well as the foreskin (the skin that covers the glans penis). Pain may be accompanied by itching, burning, or throbbing. Complaints may be the result of an accident or illness. Penile pain can affect men of all ages.
Penile pain can vary depending on the underlying cause that caused it. With an injury, the pain can be severe and appear suddenly. If the cause of pain in the penis is a disease, the pain may be mild and gradually increase.
Any type of penile pain is a cause for concern, especially if it occurs during an erection, interferes with urination, or occurs along with discharge, sores, redness, or swelling.
What are the possible causes of pain in the penis?
Peyronie’s disease
Peyronie’s disease occurs when fibrous plaques form in the penis, resulting in difficult, painful erections and deformity of the penis.
Priapism
Priapism causes a painful, prolonged erection. This condition can occur even if men are not aroused. Priapism is most common in men in their 30s.
When priapism occurs, it must be treated immediately to prevent long-term complications of the condition that could affect the ability to have an erection. Priapism can result from:
- Adverse reactions from drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction or drugs used to treat depression;
- blood clotting disorders;
- Mental disorders;
- Diseases that affect the blood, such as leukemia or sickle cell anemia;
- Use for alcohol;
- drug use;
Injury to the penis or spinal cord
Balanitis
Balanitis is an infection of the foreskin and glans penis. It usually affects men and boys who do not regularly wash the glans penis below the foreskin or who have not been circumcised. Men and boys who have been circumcised can also develop the disease. Other causes of balanitis can be:
- fungal infection;
- sexually transmitted infections;
- Allergy to soap, perfume, or other products
- Sexually transmitted infections
Sexually transmitted infections can cause pain in the penis. These infectious diseases include:
- chlamydia;
- gonorrhea;
- Genital herpes;
- Syphilis
What are other possible causes of penile pain?
Injuries
Like any other part of the body, the penis can be damaged by trauma. Injuries can occur in:
- Car accident;
- combustion;
- rough sex;
- piercing installation;
- Insertion of objects into the urethra
- phimosis and paraphimosis
The phimosis occurs in uncircumcised men when the foreskin (thin, elastic skin at the tip of the penis that covers the glans) is too tight and sticks to the glans. It usually occurs in children, but can also occur in older men if the balanitis or injury involves the foreskin.
A related condition called paraphimosis occurs when the foreskin pulls away from the glans but then fails to return to its original position surrounding the penis. Paraphimosis is an emergency because it can interfere with urination and cause necrosis of the penile tissue.
Cancer of the penis
Penile cancer is another cause of penile pain, although this is a rare symptom. Some factors increase the risk of developing penile cancer, these include:
- Smoking;
- uncircumcised member;
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection;
- Lack of hygiene if the man is uncircumcised;
- Treatment of psoriasis
According to studies, most cases of penile cancer occur in men over 50 years of age.
What are the treatment options for penile pain?
Treatment varies depending on the condition or disease causing the pain:
the use of injections softens fibrous plaques in the penis in Peyronie’s disease. Surgery can remove these plaques in severe cases.
If the pain is caused by priapism, draining blood from the penis with a needle helps reduce the erection, some medications can also decrease the amount of blood in the penis.
Antibiotics treat sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Antibiotics and antifungals may also be used to treat balanitis.
Antiviral medications can help reduce herpes outbreaks.
If you have phimosis, stretching the foreskin with your fingers can relax it. Steroid creams can also help with this condition. In some cases of phimosis, surgery is necessary.
Pressure on the glans penis can reduce swelling in paraphimosis. Injecting medication into the foreskin may reduce swelling. In addition, small incisions may be made in the foreskin to reduce swelling.
Treatment for penile cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
Leave a Reply