Causes, symptoms and treatment of painful erection

Posted by PSEDEN

2025-07-28

On 2025-07-28

Priapism’s definition may not be familiar with bats, but if you’ve ever experienced four hours of erection, you’re definitely very familiar with what Priapism is.

Unfortunately, while a four-hour erection sounds like a dream and a positive thing, it doesn’t sound that pleasant. In fact, Priapism is a serious medical emergency that requires immediate treatment.

Before you frighten, though – knowledge is power, so let’s discuss everything about priapism, its causes and treatment.

What is priapism?

Priapism is a long, sometimes painful erection of the penis. This may be a complete or partial erection that may last for a long time when the sexual activity is over or there may be no sexual activity.

Priapism is a serious medical emergency that requires treatment and may damage the penis and permanent dysfunction if not treated. If the condition is not treated immediately, these extended erections can cause damage from the accumulation of scar tissue in the penis.

Although serious, priapism is not something that happens often. About 0.5 – 0.9 cases There are 100,000 people each year. People observe higher priapism Age over 40 years old. However, some areas like those with sickle cell disease (SCD) are more likely to experience priapism – which can occur in about 40% of people.

There are various reasons for priapism, but before we dig deeper, let’s discuss different types of priapisms.

Types of priapism

There are three known Types of priapism:

Ischemic training

Sometimes called a low traffic priapism. This is the most common form of priapism and the most dangerous. Low flow priapism occurs when the muscles in the penis are paralyzed and cannot contract and blood is captured into the penis. This leads to prolonged painful erections.

Non-ischemic priapism

Sometimes called high traffic priapism. It’s one Usually painless priapism type. This form of priApism occurs when excessive bleeding in the penis can destroy the normal blood circumcision system and lead to prolonged erections. Although it remains an emergency, the danger to long-term health is not like the low-flow priapism. Most common in people with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Repeated priapism

The last priapism, sometimes called stuttering priapism, is a form of low-flow priapism. This is the least common priapism and very challenging type because of dangerous pain, prolonged erections keep coming back. It usually requires long-term medical care to help manage.

What is the reason for priapism?

Sometimes, priapism may not happen for good reason. However, certain lifestyle factors, medical conditions and injuries may be The reason why priapism occurs.

Medical status

Certain medical conditions may cause low traffic priapisms, such as:

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
Leukemia (hematocancer)
Thalassemia (low hemoglobin levels)
Hematological disorders (this disease that affects blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic tissue)

Injuried

Physical injuries to the penis and surrounding areas are The main reasons for high traffic priapism. Physical damage to the area causes basic artery rupture, which can cause abnormal flow of blood to the pelvic area and lead to prolonged erections.

You may get injured during exercise (especially contact exercise), accidents (such as falling off a ladder), or even during sexual activities.

drug

There are many drugs known to cause low and high flow priapisms, or may increase your chances of developing priapisms, For example:

Certain antidepressants (trazodone)
Some ADHD drugs
Anticoagulant
Anti-hypertension
alpha receptor blockers
Antipsychotic drugs
Vascular active drugs

Some drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction are even found to be caused by Up to 25% Priapism event.

Causes related to lifestyle

In addition to medical and drug-related reasons, your lifestyle choices may lead to development centers. Drinking alcohol and taking recreational medicines are caused Up to 21% Priapism case. Recreational medicines include cocaine, marijuana and MDMA (ecstasy).

Smoking and e-cigarettes can also lead to opportunities for development excitement.

What are the symptoms of priapism?

The symptoms of priapism depend on whether you have a low or high traffic priapism. Usually, the small pria symptoms to be looked for are:

Long erection

Whether you are low traffic, high traffic, or priapism, the common symptom is prolonged erections that can last for four hours or more.

Painful erection

In the case of low-flow ischemic priapism, you may experience painful erections. The pain may worsen over time.

Rigid shaft, soft head

If you have a low flow priapism, you may have a rigid axis, but the head of the penis is soft.

Rigid head, soft shaft

If you have high flow priapism, you may notice that the axis of the penis is not difficult, but the head of the penis is swollen and stiff.

Repeated erections of prolonged erections

If you notice a frequent episode of prolonged erections that last for several hours at a time, it may indicate that you have frequent priapism.

What are the complications of priapism?

Without proper treatment, Priapism can cause permanent damage to the penis and your overall sexual function. Trapped blood in the penis runs out of oxygen that is essential to the cells, which can cause Penis tissue damage.

Tissue damage can lead to permanent erectile dysfunction. Untreated low flow priapism for more than 24 hours increases your chances of using permanent erectile dysfunction Up to 90%.

How to be diagnosed with priapism?

Although a four-hour erection indicates that you may have a low flow or high flow priapism. However, your healthcare provider will Run some tests Learn exactly how severe your condition is and what type of priapism you have.

Physical examination

Your healthcare provider may check the penis, perineum, and pelvic areas to check for trauma or other abnormal signs that may cause priapism.

Blood test

Your doctor may do some blood tests to see if you may have some blood-related illness.

ultrasound

Your doctor may perform an ultrasound test, which helps measure blood flowing to the penis. Additionally, this may allow the doctor to see if there are any signs of physical trauma.

Blood gas measurement

Your doctor may perform blood gas measurement tests to find out the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood that sticks to the penis. This may help to evaluate what type of priapism you have.

Toxicology tests

Since alcohol and illegal drug use can lead to priapism, your healthcare provider may perform toxicology tests.

When to see a doctor

If you have four hours of erection, you need urgent care no matter what you do, whether it is painful or not. An emergency doctor will be able to help determine the form of priapism you have and find the right treatment.

While seeking help can be frightening, it’s best to do it as soon as possible so that you can get treatment quickly and minimize the chance of permanent damage to your penis and overall sexual function.

What Priapism treatments are available?

How you treat priapism will depend on your type, your medical history, overall health, and the severity of your condition.

Treatment at home

If you have a long erection and are painful, you may try something. National Health Services (NHS)it is recommended to try:

pe
Take a shower or shower
Increase intake
Walk gently
Try gentle exercise
Take pain medication if needed

You should also avoid taking some measures to relieve discomfort:

Avoid ice packs or cold baths as this may make things worse
Avoid sex and masturbation
Avoid drinking
Avoid smoking

Suck

Suction is a medical procedure in which a doctor manually bleeds from his penis. This is a successful treatment 66% of cases of low-flow priapism.

During the surgery, medical professionals will use medication to numb the penis. They will then use a small needle and syringe to evacuate the blood trapped in the penis to relieve swelling and reduce stress.

One might be enough, but they may also need to repeat the process several times until the extended erection eventually disappears.

drug

Your healthcare provider may treat priapism with prescription drugs such as prescription drugs (such as phenylephrine). This medication may help reduce blood flow in the penis and help with lower erections.

observe

If you have high flow priapism, your healthcare provider may keep you medically observed until prolonged erection resolves. High traffic priapism in 60% of cases.

Surgery

If not Methods for treating priapism Work, or if you have a severe case of priapism, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery to restore proper blood flowing to your penis. Using surgical methods, healthcare providers will create a pathway to drain excess blood and restore routine blood flow to the penis.

Is it possible to prevent priapism?

For the general population, priapism is not a common situation for anyone, and it can happen to anyone. Therefore, it can be difficult to do specific things to prevent it from happening. But, there Things you might want to try Minimize your chances:

Make sure to deal with any underlying health conditions according to your doctor’s advice, such as sickle cell disease (SCD).
Always take the medication you are given as directed.
Wear protective gear around the penis when you participate in strict activities that can cause physical harm.
Avoid or reduce alcohol, drugs and smoking.

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