Is The Penis A Muscle Or Organ? 9 Qs About Size, Erection, And More

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HealthlineSubscribeIs the Penis a Muscle or an Organ? And 9 Other FAQs

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Litner, PhD, LMFT, CST — Written by Adrienne Santos-Longhurst on December 19, 2019

Short answer
Movement
Size
Anatomy
Bones and breaks
Shower vs. grower
Erection
"Use it or lose it"
Foreskin
Circumcision
Takeaway

cropped shot of a person laying in bed wearing only blue boxers

Is it a muscle?

Nope. As much as you may love to werk your “love muscle,” the penis isn’t actually a muscle. It’s mostly made of spongy tissue that fills with blood when a person gets an erection.

If it isn’t a muscle, how are you able to flex it?

If you have a penis or have been around someone with one, chances are you’ve performed or been privy to the magic show. You know the one: the flexing of the dick that causes it to move up and down.

The love muscle may not be a muscle, but it does have muscles nearby that make movement possible. Not to impress the masses with cock magic, but to help make penetration and urination possible.

If you’re interested in improving your cock control, Kegel exercises can help.

They strengthen your pubococcygeal (PC) muscles, which work as a sling to keep your pelvic organs in place. They also help you control your bladder and sexual function.

Do them regularly and may be able to take your magic wand to new heights, literally increasing how high it sits.

Can exercises make it bigger?

Kegels may help improve blood flow, which could make your erection fuller.

As for those ads that pop up online promising secret “must know” exercises for a bigger penis, you’re out of luck. Exercising your dick’s not likely to make it any bigger.

Jelqing, which is a stretching exercise for penises, is one such exercise that you’ve probably heard whispers of. Any evidence of its benefits is anecdotal.

Before you start pulling and tugging on anything, remember that penis size really doesn’t have any bearing on how good you are in the sack.

You can have toe-curling sex without penetration thanks to other types of sex like erogenous play and oral.

Plus, if you’re working with a smaller penis — or a bigger one for that matter — there are ways to make sex even better and improve your performance. It’s all about making the most of what you’ve got.

Besides, research shows that a person’s perception of penis size is often skewed, with many overestimating what the “normal” or average penis size is.

What is it made up of?

Three cylinders covered in a sheath called the buck fascia make up the penis. These cylinders include the corpus spongiosum and two corpora cavernosa, known as the corpus cavernosum penis.

The corpus cavernosum contains spongy tissue and arteries that run along the middle of each. When the muscles around the corpus cavernosum relax, blood flows into its open spaces. That pressure causes the penis to swell and stiffen.

If it isn’t a bone, how are penile fractures possible?

There’s no bone in that boner, but you can definitely break a penis with the right kind of trauma.

Those two cylinders that fill with blood when you have a boner can burst if the penis is twisted hard enough. This is called a penile fracture.

Why in the name of all creatures big and small would anyone twist their penis so violently, you ask? Not on purpose!

They’re most often injured in action, specifically when they’re partner is on top, also known as the reverse cow sex position.

It happens when the penis slips out of the anus or vagina and is bent.

Traumatic masturbation and blunt force trauma caused by accidents or assault can also do it.

How does one know they’ve broken their penis? Hold on to your crotches because the signs and symptoms are a doozy.

They often include:

an audible popping or snapping sound
severe pain
sudden loss of erection
dark bruising or bleeding
a bent penis

Is there really such a thing as ‘showers’ or ‘growers’?

Yep, there’s some evidence that showers and growers exist.

To fill you in, “showers” are people whose penises are about the same length when they’re flaccid or erect. “Growers” are people whose penises get notably longer when erect.

BTW — this doesn’t really mean anything for your sex life, and the average change in length between showers and growers is only an inch and a half.

Are all erections the same?

Nope. There are different kinds of erections, like morning wood, the kind you get when you’re stimulated and aroused, and even random erections that can happen for no apparent reason.

How firm they are and how they feel also varies, too. You can have a raging boner or a not-so-raging semi, depending on a number of factors.

Some of the things that can impact erection size and duration include:

your mood
alcohol intake
drug use
certain prescription medications
certain medical conditions
your relationship
time of day
how much sleep you’ve had

Do you really have to ‘use it or lose it’?

No way! Having sex is your choice and not having sex isn’t going to harm you or make your penis shrivel and fall off.

Sex does have known health benefits, including reduced blood pressure, lower stress levels, and better prostate health.

Not having sex, though, doesn’t mean that your health is going to suffer.

There are other ways to reap similar benefits, like exercising and taking care of your mental and physical health through other healthy lifestyle habits and pleasurable activities.

All that said, if you’re concerned about your lack of sex or interest in it, or have experienced a sudden drop in your libido or ability to get or maintain an erection, talk to a health care provider.

A change in your libido or erections could be caused by an underlying condition.

Does foreskin have an effect on sensitivity?

Foreskin doesn’t appear to make much, if any, difference at all.

Studies have produced conflicting reports on the impact that circumcision has on sexual pleasure.

The most recent evidence showed there was minimal difference in penile sensitivity between folks with a circumcised or uncircumcised penis.

Learning to work with what you’ve got is key. Masturbation is a fun and effective way to discover what feels good and what doesn’t.

How common is circumcision?

More common than you might think.

One in three individuals who have a penis worldwide are circumcised, according to a 2010 report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The bottom line

Isn’t the penis grand? Your marvelous member is cleverly designed with just the right amount of flexibility to help you pee, as well as have sex and reproduce, if you choose to.

Practice good penis health, be careful not to break it, and enjoy all the magic it has to offer.

Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. When she’s not holed-up in her writing shed researching an article or off interviewing health professionals, she can be found frolicking around her beach town with husband and dogs in tow or splashing about the lake trying to master the stand-up paddle board.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

5 penis facts. (2018).https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/five-penis-facts/
Sam P, et al. (2019). Anatomy, abdomen and pelvis, penis.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482236/
Bossio JA, et al. (2015). Examining penile sensitivity in neonatally circumcised and intact men using quantitative sensory testing. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2015.12.080
Yafi FA, et al. (2018). Grower or shower? Predictors of change in penile length from the flaccid to erect state. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-018-0053-3
Neonatal and child male circumcision: A global review. (2010).https://www.who.int/hiv/pub/malecircumcision/neonatal_child_MC_UNAIDS.pdf
Pastore AL, et al. (2014). Pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation for patients with lifelong premature ejaculation: a novel therapeutic approach. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1756287214523329
Mondaini N, et al. (2002). Penile length is normal in most men seeking penile lengthening procedures.https://www.nature.com/articles/3900887
Cohen D, et al. The role of pelvic floor muscles in male sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2015.10.001
What do the terms “shower” and “grower” mean in terms of penis length? (n.d.).https://www.issm.info/sexual-health-qa/what-do-the-terms-shower-and-grower-mean-in-terms-of-penis-length/

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Medically reviewed by Jennifer Litner, PhD, LMFT, CST — Written by Adrienne Santos-Longhurst on December 19, 2019

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