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Question:
For about one month, I have been experiencing numbness in my whole penis. I can press it and I won't feel a thing.
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Answer:
by Hussein Ghanem: (06/02/2004)
Penile numbness in healthy young men is an unusual complaint. Decreased penile sensation might lead to sensory deficit Erectile Dysfunction (ED). However, I’m skeptical that your problem is physical. Nerve deficit ED is usually associated with other disorders causing neurological symptoms. These may be seen in cases with spinal cord injury, radical pelvic surgery, multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, and alcoholic neuropathy or drug addiction.
From the information sheet, I understand that you do not suffer from any of the above disorders so your symptoms might be psychosomatic meaning a psychological problem (e.g. anxiety or stress) presenting as a physical complaint. This can only be diagnosed during a medical / psychological evaluation.
I advise you to visit a physician to determine the origin of your complaints whether physical or psychological. Your physician will probably take a full medical history and perform a focused physical examination. He might order lab tests and perform a penile biothesiometry, which is a simple screening test form penile sensory thresholds.
Tests for penile sensations include:
Biothesiometry:
A biothesiometer is a vibration apparatus having a fixed frequency & a variable amplitude. It is used to measure the vibration sense at the sides of the penile shaft & glans. It is a good screening procedure for sensory deficit impotence.
Dorsal nerve somatosensory evoked potential:
This is a neurophysiologic test involving electrical stimulation of the dorsal nerve of the penis. Evoked EEG waveforms are recorded over the sacral cord & cerebral cortex, and analyzed using computer signal averaging and complex electronic equipment.
Obtaining the peripheral conduction time to the sacral cord & the central conduction time to the brain from one or more points on the penis aids in diagnosing sensory lesions as well as calculating the dorsal nerve conduction velocity.
In most instances we do not need the above tests if the diagnosis whether physical or psychological is evident in the course of the medical evaluation. Treatment is directed to the cause (e.g. correcting predisposing factors for a neuropathy or medical therapy or psychotherapy for psychosomatic disorders).
Regarding excessive bending of an erect penis mentioned in the information sheet, this could result in a penile hematoma (blood collection) due to a tear in the wall of the tunica (coverings of the erectile bodies). However, this will not affect penile sensations.
Best wishes. Hussein GhanemReviewed by Sexual Health Editorial Team
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