Can a person with a spinal-cord injury get an erection? What about orgasms?
I don’t know about the orgasm. A friend was shot in the back and is paralyzed from about the sternum down. He has reported erectile function.
Yes, and yes
Penile erection following complete spinal cord injury in man.
Chapelle PA, Durand J, Lacert P.
Three types of erection following complete spinal transection (at lower thoracic or thoracolumbar levels) in man are described. Reflex erection involves both corpus cavernosum and corpus spongiosum if the lower level of cord injury or lesional sector (LLLS) is cranial to T10/12, and involves only corpus cavernosum if the LLLS is caudal to T12/L2. Psychogenic erection may occur when the upper level of cord injury or lesional sector (ULLS) is caudal to T12 and when testicular sensation is normal. A mixed erection can occur when the ULLS is caudal to T10/12 and the LLLS cranial to S2.
Br J Urol. 1980 Jun
" Men may or may not be able to get a hard penis or ejaculate (release sperm). Paraplegic and quadriplegic men whose injuries are incomplete are more likely to have children. "
http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/global/david/dwe002/dwe00225.htm
The vagus nerve also has been shown to be an alternate pathway for orgasm in complete paraplegics. As late as the 80’s, it was widely believed that the vagus nerve did not innervate much below the diaphragm, except for the gall bladder, but this was disproven, as reported in:
Rennie, J. (1990, January). Nervous excitement. Scientific American, 262(1), 21.
(John Rennie is not a physician, but was the editor-in-chief of Scientific American. There was another similar short lay article in SciAm ca 1992-3. Those who subscribe to the magazine can look it up in the index. My copies were ruined in a basement flood)
Oh, I should mention that the vagus nerve is a cranial nerve (CN 10) and originates directly from the brain, rather than the spinal nerve roots. It is also a major pathway for the parasympathetic system (the counterbalance to the sympathetic or “fight or flight” system), and has been implicated as possibly having a role in my favorite reported side effect of the antidepressant Luvox (and rarely, some other drugs): some Luvox patients have orgasms when they sneeze.
Pass me the black pepper.
I have a counsin who married a quadriplegic and they subsequently had 5 kids. So I’d have to say “Yes”. But a lot depends on the particular injury. In my counsin-in-law’s case the spinal cord destruction was pretty complete, but above the level that controlled the reflexes relating to erection and so forth.
Which other posters have already said, but in much more elaborate language.
My limited information is that the lower the injury the more likely it is to mess up sexual functioning. So a high level quad may be able to function better as far as erection/fathering children is concerned than someone with a much lower injury who still retains the use of their arms. Again, though, each individual case is different.
Course if you have a pretty good spinal injury, you’ll end up with a priapism. Which is a raging erection you don’t want!