What is Hard Flaccid Syndrome(HFS)?
Hard-Flaccid syndrome is a type of chronic pain syndrome which occurs in men of all ages. It is a kind of state where you see your penis is hard but it is in a flaccid state i.e it will be short and small but hard. Sometimes your penis might feel rubbery or just it wouldn’t feel like a normal penis anymore.
Clinical signs of Hard-Flaccid Syndrome(HFS)
- Penis in the flaccid state can reveal engorged corpora cavernous muscles like a semi-erect penis with a rubbery texture.
- In the erect state, the penis feels very tight, with men reporting increasing levels of pain.
- The glans penis can remain flaccid, unlike a normal erection.
- Often this Hard Flaccid syndrome is accompanied by a change in urination with a weak urine stream.
- One can have constipation and rectal pressure along with not having regular erections.
- You can notice ejaculation issues like pain after ejaculating.
- Erectile dysfunction. There can be a loss of morning and nocturnal erections.
- A traumatic event such as rough masturbation can lead to injury of nerves and pelvic floor musculature which can contribute to the onset of symptoms.
It’s not uncommon that people can have issues with lower back, their hip, and pain with sitting. Some of these things may have started with one thing but now starting to involve layers of other things developed over time like a chain reaction.
Now we come to the main question that you all are waiting for
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
The exact cause of this Hard flaccid syndrome is unfortunately unknown. Men usually end up seeing various specialists and undergo various tests, which have normal results.
The cause behind why Hard-Flaccid syndrome happens can be many different reasons, among them starting from Stress to excessive masturbation and a lot of stuff in-between.
The main reason behind this is the Pelvic floor muscles. These Pelvic floor muscles just like any other muscles can be problematic like they can become tight, they can become painful, and can cause a lot of physical changes that can include bladder, erectile, sexual functioning, and changes in the penis texture.
Treatment for Hard Flaccid syndrome
Hard flaccid syndrome is difficult to treat due to the fact it is poorly understood and not yet widely recognized as a condition by urologists.
As anxiety is the main risk factor for the development and persistence of this condition, early referral for counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is of utmost importance in the treatment.
Eat healthily and have good sleep timings. This may seem unrelated – but by doing these things you will improve your state of mental and physical health, and reduce your stress levels.
Meditate. Do yoga. Do Pilates. Do any of these things – they will all benefit your body and reduce stress.
Regular exercise is also beneficial as it strengthens core muscles, taking pressure off the pelvic floor muscle.
Conclusion
Just to reiterate this again that this syndrome is not uncommon and you’re not alone in this. The hard flaccid syndrome should be suspected in men of all ages who present with chronic pelvic pain associated with urinary and erectile dysfunction. At present this condition is not universally accepted by urologists because of the lack of published literature on the subject, despite the debilitating physical and emotional symptoms, it may cause. By raising awareness of the syndrome, we hope to provide a better understanding of the disorder with a view to enabling earlier diagnosis, less misdiagnosis, and quicker access to appropriate therapy.