What Is Broken Frenulum: Cause, Risk Factors For Broken Frenulum, Symptoms And Complications, Diagnosis, Prevention
In most cases, the cause of a broken frenulum lies in too energetic intercourse or a series of sexual intercourse; more rarely, excessively vigorous masturbation , botched penile surgery, or accidental injury to the penisare involved
Typical symptomsof broken frenulum are penile pain and bleeding where the penile frenulum was torn . The broken frenulum heals spontaneously; therefore, no specific treatment is needed.
Brief Review Of What The Penile Frenulum Is
Also known as the foreskin frenulum or penile frenulum , the penile frenulum is the thin band of stretchy tissue that connects the underside of the glans penis to the foreskin in the male reproductive organ .
Visible only when the penis goes into erection , the frenulum of the penis has a role in the sliding mechanics of the foreskin with respect to the glans and a role in sexual dynamics:
- As regards the first role, it limits the distension of the foreskin, when the penis goes into erection, and allows the correct sliding of the foreskin over the glans, when the penis becomes flaccid again;
- As far as the second role is concerned, it is an area rich in nerve endings, which allow the man to feel pleasure during sexual intercourse or to feel pain if the penis is subjected to violent maneuvers.
Figure (of the penis): Anatomy of the penis ; glans and foreskin are, respectively, the head of the penis and the sliding fold of skin, which covers part or all of the glans when the penis is flaccid.
What Is A Broken Frenulum?
Broken frenulum is the slang expression indicating the breakage of the penile frenulum , i.e. the laceration of the band of elastic tissue that joins the lower part of the glans to the foreskin.
A broken frenulum is a fairly common injury; the number of men involved, in fact, is by no means negligible.
Brief Clarification
Although there are several frenulums in the human body (e.g. the lingual frenulum, the upper labial frenulum, etc.), the expression “broken frenulum” with tacit reference to the penile frenulum is still considered correct and widely used, even among the components of the medical community, since, among the various types of existing frenulum, the one typically subject to lacerations is the frenulum of the penis.
Curiosity: Anatomical Meaning Of “Frenulum”
In anatomy, the term ” frenulum ” without any specification indicates a thin flap of tissue that fixes or limits the movement of some mobile organs or some of their parts.
Causes
In most cases, the broken frenulum is the result of one or a series of too energetic sexual intercourse; more rarely, it depends on repeated too vigorous acts of masturbation, an unsuccessful penile surgical procedure or, finally, accidental damaging trauma to the penis.
Risk Factors For Broken Frenulum
Are risk factors of broken frenulum:
- Too vigorous sexual activity;
- The presence of the so-called short frenulum . In medicine, short frenulum indicates the anatomical anomaly for which the penile frenulum is shorter than normal;
- The presence of a particularly thin frenulum;
- Accidental injuries to the penis;
- Penile surgery.
Symptoms And Complications
The classic symptoms and signs of a broken frenulum are penile pain and bleeding where the tear occurred.
The extent of the symptoms is all the more severe, the more serious the laceration of the penile frenulum is. In other words, the pain in the penis is all the more intense, and the blood loss all the more conspicuous, the more important the laceration on the penile frenulum is.
Why Does A Broken Frenulum Cause Pain?
The intense pain in the penis that characterizes the broken frenulum is linked to the considerable presence of sensitive nerve endings at the level of the penile frenulum.
Why Does A Broken Frenulum Cause Bleeding?
A broken frenulum is associated with blood loss, even when the tear is minor, because the penile frenulum is a flap of tissue rich in blood vessels (i.e., highly vascular).
Complications
The only noteworthy complication of the broken frenulum is linked to an incorrect healing process of the laceration, from which an anatomical and functional alteration of the penile frenulum can derive (the sliding mechanism of the foreskin no longer occurs adequately).
Poor healing of a penile frenulum tear is a rare event, which makes a broken frenulum an injury with a low risk of complications.
Diagnosis
A simple and quick visual examination of the penis is enough to diagnose a broken frenulum .
The broken frenulum is such an obvious injury that it is not necessary to consult a doctor for its correct identification.
Therapy
The presence of the broken frenulum does not require any specific therapy , as the lacerations of the penile frenulum heal spontaneously through the same healing process to which the more normal skin wounds are subject .
The only caution that the patient must have, in the period of healing of the laceration, is to abstain from sexual activity and masturbation , in order to avoid relapses or a slower than expected healing.
Healing from frenulum rupture is spontaneous, i.e. it does not require any specific therapy.
Healing Times
The healing times of a broken frenulum vary in relation to the severity of the laceration: as a rule, the healing of minor lacerations can take place in a maximum of 2 weeks, while the healing of more serious lacerations can take up to a month.
Does Failure To Abstain From Sexual Activity Have Serious Consequences?
Failure to observe abstinence from sexual activity and masturbation has no serious consequences, except to favor a relapse and slow down the healing process.
As can be guessed, any relapses or slower-than-normal healing processes prolong the presence of painful symptoms and blood loss from the laceration site.
What If The Healing Process Is Abnormal? The Frenuloplasty
As stated in the section dedicated to complications, sometimes it can happen that the healing of the broken frenulum takes place according to an incorrect healing process, such that the penile frenulum undergoes an alteration from an anatomical and functional point of view.
The incorrect healing of a laceration of the penile frenulum, followed by a profound alteration of the anatomy and functionality of the latter, requires the use of frenuloplasty , i.e. a surgical intervention for the remodeling of the penile frenulum when the latter presents anomalies.
During sexual intercourse, a penile frenulum altered under anatomical and functional aspects can be a source of pain, sometimes even very intense.
Frenuloplasty
Performed under local (more often) or general (more rarely) anesthesia, frenuloplasty involves a very special incision of the penile frenulum, which allows the latter to regain its normal anatomy or in any case something very similar.
Lasting 15-30 minutes (the complexity of the remodeling affects the duration), frenuloplasty is a safe and effective operation, i.e. it has a low risk of complications and almost always guarantees the desired results.
For complete recovery from frenuloplasty operations, it is necessary to wait at most 6 weeks; during this time, patients must strictly abstain from sexual activity and masturbation, avoid intense physical exertion and apply special ointments to the operated areawhich aid the healing process.
Prognosis
The prognosis in cases of broken frenulum is generally excellent, provided that the patient abstain from sexual activity and alternative practices during the healing phase of the laceration.
As anticipated, the incorrect healing of a laceration of the penile frenulum and the consequent anatomical and functional alteration of the latter are two very infrequent phenomena.
Prevention
Undoubtedly, the most important preventive measure against a broken frenulum is to avoid too vigorous sexual intercourse and too vigorous masturbation.
