A man who found a ‘cure’ to his back pain ended up dealing with the consequences of the unusual pain-relief method.
Anyone who has dealt with chronic back pain will known how weakening it is and it can lead to people doing anything to find a way to enhance it.
But, as you’re probably aware, avoiding proper medical help isn’t advised and can finish up having disastrous consequences — as this Irishman discovered the hard way.
In 2019, there were reports of a man, 33, who took himself to hospital with what he described as ‘severe, sudden onset lower back pain’ that he assistanted when moving a heavy steel object in the days leading up to his hospitalization.
As doctor’s checked him, they noticed that his arm was red and swollen and questioned the man about it.
It was then that they learnt that his back pain wasn’t actually new and that he’d been injecting himself with semen for the last 18 months as an apparent ‘cure’ for his ongoing pain without medical advice.
The unnamed individual had been using a hypodermic needle he’d bought online to inject himself and shortly before his hospital trip he’d dispensed three ‘doses’ at once.
He progressed to suffer an X-ray which found that he had subcutaneous emphysema and a collection of semen in his muscle. The man needed urgent antibacterial treatment as a result.
Cleveland Clinic thinks subcutaneous emphysema as ‘a rare condition that occurs when air gets trapped under your skin’.
When the man’s back pain had descended, he continued to discharge himself from hospital before having his arm drained.
A report into the matter was later announced in the Irish Medical Journal (IMJ) where Dr Lisa Dunne, the report’s lead author, mentioned: “Upon further interrogation of this alternative therapy, he shared that he had injected one monthly ‘dose’ of semen for 18 consecutive months using a hypodermic needle which had been purchased online.”
The incident was concluded to be the first reported human case of s.e.m.e.n injection. It has been applied on some animals, however.
“Although there is a report of the effects of subcutaneous semen injection into rats and rabbits, there were no cases of intravenous semen injection into humans found across the literature,” the report commented.
“A search of more eclectic internet sites and forums found no other documentation of semen injection for back pain treatment or other uses.”
The IMJ report moved on issue a harsh war:ning about trying out the man’s unusual
method at home.
“The dangers of venepuncture when conducted by the untrained layperson are noticed as well as the vascular and soft tissue hazards surrounding the attempted injection of substances not intended for intravenous use,” it read.
“The case also shows the risks involved with medical experimentation prior to extensive clinical research in the form of phased trials inclusive of safety and efficacy assessments.”
