A man’s self-made ‘cure’ for back pain led to serious complications.
Anyone who has experienced chronic back pain knows how disabling it can be.
Desperation can push people away from proper medical care, and that choice can have harsh results, as an Irishman discovered.
In 2019, a 33-year-old man arrived at hospital with what he described as “severe, sudden onset lower back pain.”
He said the pain began after lifting a heavy steel object in the days before he sought help.
While examining him, clinicians noticed his arm was red and swollen and asked him about it.
They then discovered his back pain was not a new problem.
The patient admitted he had been self-injecting his own semen for 18 months as a supposed remedy, doing so without medical supervision.
He used a hypodermic needle bought online and, just before coming to hospital, had injected three “doses” at once.
Medical imaging revealed subcutaneous emphysema and a pocket of semen within his muscle.
He required prompt antibacterial therapy as a consequence.
The Cleveland Clinic defines subcutaneous emphysema as “a rare condition that happens when air gets trapped under your skin.”
After his back pain eased, the man left hospital against advice before doctors could drain his arm.
A case report in the Irish Medical Journal (IMJ), led by Dr Lisa Dunne, documented the episode.
Dr Dunne wrote: “Upon further interrogation of this alternative therapy, he revealed he had injected one monthly ‘dose’ of semen for 18 consecutive months using a hypodermic needle which had been purchased online.”
The authors concluded this was the first reported human case of semen injection.
The report noted that while semen injection has been studied in animals, there were no documented human intravenous cases in the literature.
As the IMJ stated: “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.”
It added: “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 authors issued a strong caution against attempting such home treatments.
They warned: “The dangers of venepuncture when carried out by the untrained layperson are highlighted as well as the vascular and soft tissue hazards surrounding the attempted injection of substances not intended for intravenous use.”
They also stressed: “The case also demonstrates the risks involved with medical experimentation prior to extensive clinical research in the form of phased trials inclusive of safety and efficacy assessments.”