How can you fracture something that has no bone? It may sound like a riddle, but we are here to explain just that. The penis is entirely made of soft tissue, yet it gets fractured more often than we’d like to admit. I won’t deny that broken dick has somewhat of a comedic quality to it, however, all the fun stops there, because it is actually a very unpleasant occurrence that can disrupt your sex life and cause serious medical issues. It is in everyone’s best interest to prevent it.
Boneless Boners
You probably know humans have no bone in their penis, but what might come as a surprise is that it is an anomaly and a real mystery that we still don’t quite understand. The absence of penis bone, called the baculum, is not completely unique in mammals, but among close primate relatives, only human males do not have one. To understand why, we would need to know the purpose of the baculum to begin with, and that’s where the problems start.
It might have something to do with sexual competition, because species that are more competitive tend to have bigger ones. Yet every guy who’s ever been in a nightclub with a low female count can attest that humans do not lack sexually competitive environments. It is possible that instead of the baculum, we developed other adaptations to competition, because our boneless members tend to be relatively large in comparison to our close relatives.
Risky Thrusts
What we can explain is how a penis fracture occurs, and we must start with some basic anatomy. Being so boneless, the only way for us to maintain a boner is to fill our penis with blood. You don’t really pump the whole thing, but rather fill two symmetrical chambers on each side of the penis called corpora cavernosa (plus the supplemental one on the underside). Those then act as rods that give the phallus its desired shape, not unlike the bouncy inflatable castles you encounter at kids’ parties. On the inside, the chambers are divided from the rest of penile tissue.
The system is simple and effective, but not without downsides. When it works as intended, the pressure inside the corpora cavernosa can get so intense that a violent and unpredictable thrust into the resisting surface punctures the chamber, causing internal bleeding within the penis. The condition usually causes intense pain and some level of swelling and/or bruising and requires a surgical intervention to heal properly.
The healing process can be further complicated by the development of scar tissue, causing the infamous Peyronie’s disease, a lasting condition that affects the penis shape and in some cases interferes with the ability to sexually perform so much that it requires additional corrective surgical intervention.
The Business of Staying Hard
The risk is obviously positively correlated with the firmness of the erection, thus it is the biggest in young, athletic men. In solo actors, it can happen to those that prefer really intense masturbation, while in intercourse, it understandably happens during sessions of hard fucking. Some positions are riskier than others due to the penis being more prone to slip out of the vagina or anus, but also due to the angle it hits the partner’s body during the slippage incident. Among those are doggy style and different poses where the receptive partner is on top.
Another risk factor is the consumption of medications for erectile dysfunction like sildenafil (Viagra), so make sure to take those only if you really need them and not for fun.
An Unusual Tradition
And finally, a significant risk factor is being of Middle Eastern origin, because, for some reason, men over there tend to traditionally perform taqaandan (or penile cracking) which consists of forceful bending of the penis shaft until it makes a popping sound. The reason it sounds like a bad idea is because it is – considerably increasing the number of cases of Peyronie’s in the regions where it is practiced.
So be careful and try avoiding getting too acrobatic when you (or your partner) are super-hard, because penis fracture is only funny until it happens to you. Yet the trauma it causes is so intense that there’s even a case where a man sued his partner. In the end she was found not guilty, but still, nothing screams “bad sex” like the one that gets an epilogue in court.