From Bizarre to Dangerous: Man Hospitalized After Injecting Himself with Semen to Treat Back Pain
In an age where internet trends spread faster than wildfire, we’ve seen our fair share of the absurd. From viral dance crazes to risky DIY beauty hacks, the line between innovation and insanity keeps getting blurrier. But just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes a warning no one expected: Don’t inject yourself with semen.
Yes, you read that right.
Amid rising healthcare costs and a growing distrust of traditional medicine, some individuals are resorting to extreme—and downright dangerous—forms of self-treatment. While it’s sadly common in countries with prohibitively expensive healthcare like the U.S., this particular case comes from Ireland, where healthcare is publicly funded. Which makes what happened next even more shocking.
A man suffering from chronic back pain decided to take matters into his own hands—literally. For 18 months, he’d been injecting his own semen into his arm in an attempt to relieve his discomfort. His experiment ended with an emergency hospital visit after he developed “severe, sudden-onset lower back pain.” Upon examination, doctors discovered that his arm was swollen and red. X-rays later revealed a build-up of semen deep within the muscle tissue.
The man was diagnosed with subcutaneous emphysema, a painful and potentially dangerous condition where air—or in this case, fluid—gets trapped under the skin. He required immediate medical intervention for both his back and his arm.
Dr. Asim Cheema, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, told UNILAD the case was “deeply concerning.”
“This is a deeply troubling example of how misinformation and desperation can drive individuals to take extreme, dangerous measures to manage chronic pain,” Dr. Cheema said. “Injecting non-sterile bodily fluids like semen, particularly without any medical oversight, is not only ineffective—it’s outright hazardous. Infections, inflammation, embolisms, and conditions like subcutaneous emphysema are just the beginning.”
Dr. Cheema went on to say that this behavior skirts the edge of self-harm and underscores a broader issue: more and more people are turning to unverified, anecdotal treatments online instead of seeking safe, evidence-based medical care.
While this story might sound like something out of a satire piece, it’s a sobering reminder of the dangers that can arise when desperation meets misinformation—and how crucial it is to trust medical professionals over internet folklore.
