# Testicular torsion? Ever heard of it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574 "2015-01-22T15:15:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/41 "2015-01-23T05:16:46Z")
I heard of it, in high school Hygiene class. And years later, there was a patient in the hospital, while I was there for an unrelated problem. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/42 "2015-01-23T05:28:40Z")
I’m a 41 year old guy. I’ve never heard of testicular torsion. I have heard of ovarian torsion, because my wife is an Ob/Gyn. Now, of course, I will live the rest of my life in fear that my son or I will get TT. So, thanks for adding one more thing to my pile of anxiety.:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/43 "2015-01-23T05:39:42Z")
Sadly my son ended up losing one. Problem with my son is he has a condition where he either doesnt feel pain or doesnt know how to express it. Luckily my wife noticed it when she was giving him a shower. We did notice he was walking funny. They used a sonogram to diagnose it. The Dr. said he will still be able to get over 90% of the needed hormones from his remaining one. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/44 "2015-01-23T06:23:53Z")
Sorry. But yes as **sisu** witnesses for, one will do the needed functions just fine. It does tend to sometimes get a bit bigger in compensation. And for cosmetic purposes a prosthetic testicle can later be placed if desired. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/45 "2015-01-23T06:27:04Z")
Yes, I have heard of it, and while nobody has ever experienced this and childbirth, there are people who have had this and kidney stones, etc. and they have said that this is MUCH more painful. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Saturn\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/46 "2015-01-23T06:46:45Z")
I learned about testicular torsion when I used to cycle. Testicle damage was my biggest fear, and this came up. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/47 "2015-01-23T08:23:59Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > And for cosmetic purposes a prosthetic testicle can later be placed if desired. Cosmetic purposes ? It’s a scrotum. It’s always going to look like what’s left after a shark’s done eating. ---
**Author:** ![Weirofhermiston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e274bd/32.png) [@Weirofhermiston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirofhermiston)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/48 "2015-01-23T10:22:47Z")
The condition arises in a fictional work too, and is central to the plot. Don’t want to spoil it for anyone… In Kingsley Amis’s [spoiler]_The Alteration_ which takes place in a world where the reformation never happened, young Hubert Anvil is going to be castrated to preserve his voice for the choir. After much chasing around he eventually finds himself aboard a ship headed for the New World, where they don’t do that sort of thing to boys, being good protestants. Escape looks very probable. As they are about to set sail poor Hubert is gripped with a terrible pain down under and a surgeon is called who makes a diagnosis and recommends castration as the only course of treatment. The book is about much else besides, being a whole alternate history of Europe.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![JimSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@JimSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/49 "2015-01-23T22:07:21Z")
Didn’t this happen to Arnie Becker in one episode of LA Law? Does anybody remember that far back? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/50 "2015-01-23T23:46:37Z")
When a testicle twists on its pedicle, time is of the essence to save the testicle, but a dead testicle is mostly cosmetic; some diminution of fertility might occur for a couple of reasons. Cosmetically, if one is lost, you can put in a fake one. Interestingly, the left testicle is more commonly affected, and it’s probably not because you are right handed. The left tends to hang a little lower and therefore has a longer pedicle. We’ll commonly see painful testicles that end up just being a twisting of a little structure called the testicular appendix. I have an assortment of interesting stories involving attractive young Ultrasound techs, teenage boys, and the obvious consequence of getting lubed up with ultrasound gel by a uniformed women, but I guess those are for other arenas. Yes; one would think the pain would distract from the expected consequence, but apparently not… ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/51 "2015-01-24T02:25:13Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > … involving attractive young Ultrasound techs, teenage boys, and the obvious consequence of getting lubed up with ultrasound gel by a uniformed women, but I guess those are for other arenas. Yes; one would think the pain would distract from the expected consequence, but apparently not… Pain may be part of the uniformed thing … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/52 "2015-01-24T14:32:01Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > … I have an assortment of interesting stories involving attractive young Ultrasound techs, teenage boys, and the obvious consequence of getting lubed up with ultrasound gel by a uniformed women, but I guess those are for other arenas. Yes; one would think the pain would distract from the expected consequence, but apparently not… Some forces of nature are simply unstoppable. 😃 Good thing too, or we’d have gone extinct centuries ago. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/53 "2015-01-24T17:28:13Z")
I’ve known 3 men who suffered testicular torsion. Two lost a testicle, the other had the testicle saved. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/54 "2015-01-24T19:16:37Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > I have an assortment of interesting stories involving attractive young Ultrasound techs, teenage boys, and the obvious consequence of getting lubed up with ultrasound gel by a uniformed women, but I guess those are for other arenas. Yes; one would think the pain would distract from the expected consequence, but apparently not… The penis is the lightest object in the universe : a mere thought can lift it. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/55 "2015-01-24T20:02:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Testicular torsion? Ever heard of it? I think Dylan wrote a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwuBly4Pye4) about it. mmm ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/56 "2015-01-24T21:23:30Z")
In the world of testicular torsion, I’d probably be a carrier. Luckily, I’m a lesbian. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/57 "2015-01-25T01:18:50Z")
> [@JimSC](#): > > Didn’t this happen to Arnie Becker in one episode of LA Law? Does anybody remember that far back? Yup. ---
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/58 "2015-01-25T01:29:16Z")
I’ve only heard of it because it is one of the white cards in Cards Against Humanity. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/59 "2015-01-25T05:04:08Z")
I first heard about it when break dancing became popular. There were a very small number of cases, but they got a lot of publicity. [Hip Hop on Film: Performance Culture, Urban Space, and Genre Transformation ... - Kimberly Monteyne - Google Books](https://books.google.com/books?id=FZnyAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=testicular+torsion+break+dance&source=bl&ots=7A6XXcWWwt&sig=GXRkmtpSb5DN1ubsVM2pM4drXEk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1nfEVN2dDcScyASa7YL4DA&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=testicular%20torsion%20break%20dance&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574/60 "2015-01-25T17:07:46Z")
My brother had it, kept the testicle. I had the much less serious torsion appendix epididymis. That complicated mess of nut tubing has some dead ends; when one of those gets twisted, the pain is equally … painful, but there’s ultimately no harm done, so they just let it die. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testicular-torsion-ever-heard-of-it/710574.md?page=4)