This information has been reprinted courtesy of the Erectile Dysfunction Information Center (www.erectile-dysfunction-treatment.org) for personal use only.

Spinal Cord Injury Can Cause Impotence

There are many causes of erectile dysfunction. But the chief cause of continued dysfunction is ignorance. Many men believe that if Viagra fails, there is no hope for resolving male impotence.

The facts are clear. Restoration of erectile function is possible for almost all men--even those for whom Viagra does not work. Understanding this, a national coalition of ED specialists set out to solve this epidemic of ignorance and unresolved male impotence.

Calling themselves the Erectile Dysfunction Information Center, this network of experienced doctors and nurses created an informational comprehensive website for men with ED and their partners.

On these pages you can read an overview of male impotence, learn about its causes and many treatment options, and obtain sound advice about relationships.

Impotence, or erectile dysfunction (ED), is the inability to achieve or maintain a firm erection. To get an erection, you need healthy arteries, veins and nerves.

A spinal cord injury can reduce or stop nerve impulses from the brain to the penis. These nerve impulses are necessary for the blood flow you need for an erection. (Click Spinal Cord Injury for more information about the relationship of these injuries to impotence.)

If you have a spinal cord injury and are impotent, you are not alone. About one in every ten men has ED or some degree of impotence. Because it’s so common, medical science has been busy developing treatments for ED. Today, nearly every man who has impotence can be helped. (Click here to learn about impotence treatments.)

Every treatment has pros and cons. Viagra® is a very patient-friendly treatment, for example, yet it commonly fails in 30-40% of the men who try it. For men with spinal cord injuries, Viagra is usually not a viable option.

At the other end of the treatment spectrum, a penile implant provides a solution for almost all patients--including those with a spinal cord injury--but does require a 45-minute surgical procedure.

Best advice for spinal cord injuries...

If you have impotence following a spinal cord injury, the best advice is to see an urologist who is experienced in treating impotence. These physicians understand the relationship between spinal cord injury and impotence and have up-to-date knowledge and experience in the latest treatments.

Also, make sure that you involve your partner in any discussion with the doctor regarding your post-spinal cord injury impotence and its treatment. Your partner's sexual satisfaction is at stake, too.

Impotence due to a spinal cord injury can be challenging. But today, modern technology is giving men back what many thought they had lost forever—a firm erection and a satisfying intimate relationship.