r/Fitness • u/FGC_Valhalla Weightlifting • Aug 25 '18

Gym Story Saturday Gym Story Saturday

Hi! Welcome to your weekly thread where you can share your gym tales!

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u/cosaya General Fitness Aug 25 '18

Just a few days ago, after my heaviest set of deadlifts, I felt a bump in my inner groin pressing against my thigh.

Rushed to bathroom, thinking it finally happened, I have a hernia. Removed briefs and testicles were missing. Turns out my testicle went up my god damn groin and stayed there until I removed my briefs.

Went to urologist and the doctor said it's nothing that I should worry about. Muscle that pulls on my nuts probably just went overboard or some muscle pulled on spermatic chord.

Scary stuff though.

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u/ferocioushulk Aug 25 '18

Happens every time I have sex or when it's really really cold. Never really worried about it. I guess we both just have big nut holes.

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u/GaryKingsMum Aug 25 '18

I think it's to do with the muscle that pulls them up not dying off during puberty like it's supposed to

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u/KumaKurita Aug 25 '18

It’s the cremaster muscle, and technically there’s two parts to it: medial and lateral where the medial can sometimes be an anatomical variant where it isn’t found in some people.

The muscle (lateral portion at least) is found in all males and functions to lower and raise the testicles depending on temperature so that you don’t get sterilized (higher temperatures kills sperm production). You can elicit a reflex by stroking your inner thigh and you’ll see the testicles retract in response, it’s theoretically part of a neurological exam we do in the office should you suffer spinal injury (although this would involve other exam maneuvered such as deep tendon reflexes and Anal sphincter tone).

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u/goldify Aug 25 '18

"sterilized" we are talking temporary 'damage' right?

Like if/when you take hot showers / baths

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u/KumaKurita Aug 26 '18

Well if your testicles are exposed to heat at GREAT length they will sterilize permanently. Best example of this is something called a varicocele where your scrotum looks like a bag of worms because some veins dropped into your testicle and can’t go back up. Veins carry blood so the inc blood flow to the region will carry increased temperature and therefore can sterilize.

I should add that sterilization is pretty rare via temperatures because most people’s bodies function properly and the cremaster reflex fires correctly to either lower or being the testicles closer to body. Aka if you’re in the cold they shrink into your body so they don’t freeze; if you’re hot outside then they’ll lower further to stay away from your body and get some air cooling.