The mere thought of a penile fracture is enough to make most men instinctively flinch, which is precisely why a team of Brazilian researchers decided to investigate which bedroom position carries the greatest risk of landing a man in the emergency room with a seriously injured shaft.
A decade-long investigation conducted by the University of Campinas examined which sexual positions are most frequently linked to penile fractures — a condition commonly referred to as “breaking the penis” — drawing conclusions from real patient data gathered over multiple years.
The sexual position responsible for the most penile injuries
The research team reviewed 44 suspected cases in total, medically confirming 42 of them, representing a 95.4% confirmation rate. The average age of affected patients was 34.5 years, all of whom were monitored over an extended follow-up period.
Though relatively rare, the injury is known to cause significant physical and emotional distress, particularly when treatment is delayed. Patients typically report a recognizable set of symptoms — a popping sound, immediate loss of erection, and intense pain.
When researchers examined the root causes, heterosexual intercourse accounted for the majority of cases at 66.7%, followed by penile manipulation at 14.3%, and homosexual intercourse at 9.5%.
Within heterosexual cases specifically, the “woman on top” position emerged as the most frequently reported circumstance, responsible for 50% of those incidents. “Doggy style” ranked second, contributing to 28.6% of cases.
According to researchers, reduced control over movement in certain positions likely increases injury risk. That said, they were equally clear that seeking medical attention promptly makes a significant difference — early surgical intervention was found to result in very low long-term complications.
Additional findings from the study
Beyond identifying risky positions, the study tracked patient recovery outcomes. A small percentage experienced additional complications including urethral injury in 14.3% of cases and erectile dysfunction in 4.8%, though lasting problems involving pain, physical deformity, or urinary difficulties remained uncommon overall.
Researchers also highlighted a recurring concern — many patients felt embarrassed about their injury and postponed seeking help, a delay the study warned could seriously compromise both sexual function and normal urinary activity long term.
