The danger of exercising at full erection

[Valk]

In this article I'm going to explain in a more scientific manner why doing PE exercises at full erection is/could be dangerous.

BASIC ANATOMY

The anatomy of the penis is explained more detailed elsewhere on this site but for those of you who got stuck in the Non-Pe section here are some basics, because they are required to understand the principles at play here.

The penis consists of three main parts: the root, the body (shaft) and the glans (head).
For now, only the body is of importance.


THE BODY OF THE PENIS
Lets take a look at the picture below.

http://img14.imgspot.com/u/05/120/12/labeledcorpora.jpg

The body of the penis consists of three cylindrical spaces of soft tissue.
When the two larger spaces fill with blood, the penis becomes large and rigid, forming an erection.

-Two larger cylindrical spaces of soft tissue, called the corpora cavernosa, are located side by side and form the bulk of the penis.

-The third cylindrical space of soft tissue, called the corpus spongiosum, surrounds the urethra, which forms the urinary passage.

The Corpus Cavernose are surrounded by a whitish membrane called the Tunica albuginea. (called just Tunica from now on)
When the Corpora Cavernose fill with blood during an erection they press outward against the Tunica. Pressure is built up and the Tunica gets hard and thin.
The tensile strength of the tunica is approximately 1200 - 1500 mmHg (23-29psi) making this fascia one of the most strong in the body.
And although the Tunica can handle a great amount of pressure, an overload in pressure can actually tear the Tunica.
Jelqing fills the penis with extra blood and if you jelq less then 100% erect
you know that there is more room to grow before the pressure on the tunica exceeds the pressure it can handle.
But when you start with a full erection, up to the point where the tunica gets thin and more frigide, and start to jelq, the extra pressure from all the extra blood that fills the Corpora Cavernosa can be too much.




*To be continued

[wern]

[edit] much better now.

Hmm, I understand where you're coming from and I agree that the chance of injury is increased with a full erecrtion, but I though the injury would be to the suspensory ligaments or the corpora cavernosa, not the tunica. How much pressure is exerted on the tunic when you jelq?

[MagnumXL]

good info.

[smooth]

Why would it injure the ligaments?

[wern]

The ligaments are very flexible when the penis is flaccid. When erect they bicome rigid.

[Spike]

Errr. What? How?

More likely to be the tunica - it's under pressure when you have an erection, too much pressure and it'll go pop - just like a bike tyre (the pic above even resembles a tyre cutaway).

A cause of Peyronies is your cock "snapping" when a woman gets a bit frisky when on top - it slips out and she comes down on it hard, bending it in two. That's the tunica fracturing, leaving a scar when it heals resulting in a curvy penis.

[wern]

so by that logic would the following be true?:

1. you can't kegel in blood during an erection to the extent that the tunica ruptures
2. you can perform stretches with a completely erect penis (as the skin behind the tunica at the base can stretch out)

[Valk]

I've never been such an advanced kegeler, so I dont know how much extra blood you can kegel in your penis.
But in that way they would be just like holds and holds can build up great amounts of pressure if you do them too long.

In my opinion, the Tunica is the limiting factor on your gains. I think that the Corpora Cavernosa can expand a great deal but they are limited by the Tunica. The Tunica gives the penis alot of rigidity by the pressure that the Cavernosa exert on it.

['TheBugKahuna']

Do you think there is any way that you can post pictures that have the labels "Tunica" and "ligaments" on them, for a better understanding.

This explanation makes much more sense to me than the other thread that we have; that one has too many scientific words for me.

[Valk]

Here is a picture of the Tunica. The Tunica has actually an inner and an outer layer. Each Corpus Cavernosa has its own inner layer. The outer layer is wrapped on both the Corpora Cavernosa.

http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/valk/anatomy05.gif

[Valk]

And here is a pic of the Ligaments. I havent done any research on them so I cant comment on it.

http://jupiter.walagata.com/w/valk/penis_ligs.jpg

['TheBugKahuna']

Awesome, thanks for the extra images.

So the Tunica is basically given more pressure in order to increase girth?

[zwmusic]

Yes Bug, that's what holds are for. The tunica is an incredible thing really, what it basically does is to trap the blood inside the corpora cavernosa via the parasympathetic nervous system while it's still flowing in and out (a bit like a tyre trapping the air inside without the little valve to stop it from flowing in and out).

That's why holds can be really dangerous, if you fracture the tunica, you had it.

['TheBugKahuna']

Ouch.

I think explanations of what various exercises stretch, or expand would be a great thing to do. With images and stuff. Just a suggestion.

[zwmusic]

I think Spike has already compiled alot of this info Bug, but it can always be improved for sure.

[EndorphinMachine]

came across this ancient thread and decided to bring it back up. It's a good subject but I think the explanation isn't very clear and requires update and also some pics.Can anyone do that?:wink: