The following post is from our resident expert, Big Al, of MaleEnhancementCoach.com. meCoach can not only help you reach your unique male enhancement goals, but can also assist you with sexual health challenges.

What is Hard Flaccid?

There are a few bugbears which seem to afflict men when it comes to performance. One such issue is known as “hard flaccid”. This is when the penis takes on a compressed feel and appearance in the flaccid state due to an extreme voiding of blood from the penis. This phenomenon may affect part
(usually the central shaft) or all of the penis, and is sometimes accompanied by turtling (an extreme retraction of the penis.

It should be understood that hard flaccid (HF) is a symptom and not necessarily a thing unto itself.

How Did I Get Hard Flaccid?

The difficulty in treating longstanding hard flaccid issues is in attempting to establish an etiology. There can be many original causes of hard flaccid-

• overtraining,
• a strained pelvic floor,
• stimulant/drug use or
• anxiety.

What makes HF especially pernicious for some men is, while the original cause may have begun via some external mean(s), persistent anxiety can cause HF to remain long after any originating cause has dissipated.

It can be very difficult to not dwell on penile problems, but alleviating the mind of stress is going to be a necessary step towards healing. Not only can immediate stress create HF and other problems like ED, but longstanding/acute stress can negatively impact dopamine levels (making it difficult to get aroused) and even hormone levels.

What Should I Do If I Have Hard Flaccid?

Our recommendations regarding hard flaccid are as follows:

• First, attempt to establish the cause. If you know specifically what’s caused the issue then attempt treatment.
  .
• If the cause is easily resolvable, e.g.- a minor injury, then REST – and leave your penis alone. Don’t “test” your penis frequently as this in and of itself can make the problem worse.
  .
• If the cause is likely due to stimulant use, stop taking all stimulants, unless prescribed by a physician.
  .
• Stop dwelling mentally on the problem. This too can cause a vicious cycle of negative thought patterns which will make the situation worse.
  .
• If the issue is severe and/or persistent, we HIGHLY recommend you seek medical assistance. Don’t spend weeks, months, or even years attempting to figure things out for yourself. When in doubt, always talk to your physician. Oftentimes, only a physical examination can identify the root cause of the issue.
  .
• Once you feel the issue is resolving itself, you should attempt LIGHT, stamina-focused training to attempt to maximize blood flow.
  .
• The exception to this is if the HF was caused by pelvic floor strain- in which case you’ll want to avoid Kegel-type movements or anything which might further strain the pelvic. floor. Light pumping or jelqs should be helpful in these types of cases.
  .
• During the recovery process you can conduct one or more sessions where moist heat and localized massage are used to promote blood flow and speed healing. Structure your sessions so you’re not tempted to overdo/abuse the process, and make sure to limit your massages/soaks to no more than 3 daily sessions to avoid making the issue worse.
  .
• You may also look towards erector type supplements for maximizing blood flow. Yohimbe, maca, L-Arginine, “5-G” and the like can all be very beneficial during this period. VigRX Plus is an excellent blood flow stimulator supplement.
  .
• Healing-type supplements like arnica and Butcher’s Broom can also help to speed healing.

NOTE: If you’re new to these supplements, make sure to talk with your physician, to make sure any current medications you are taking do not interact with your supplement. Also, start with the minimum recommended dosage.

• If your hard flaccid is caused by pelvic floor weakness then beginning a program like the Hans Protocol can be beneficial. It’s VITAL you ease into the recommended sessions and make sure you come away from your workouts refreshed and not exhausted.
  .
• If recurring negative thoughts are a problem then learning to still the mind will be very important! When you feel negative thoughts creeping into your mind, visualize yourself stopping their intrusion. Regular meditation, positive self-affirmations and taking a proactive approach to reducing stress can all be very helpful in learning to control and retrain the mind.
  .
• If you still have challenges with keeping the negative thoughts at bay, talk with a mental health professional. They can help you develop tools to keep anxiety and worry from negatively affecting your life.
  .
• Don’t over-research hard flaccid. While educating one’s self can be a good thing, there’s so much data on these forums and elsewhere that it’s easy to overload on data and develop a form of hysteria. Clear examples of this can be seen on some of the forum threads. Do your best to focus on resolving the issue and not on dwelling in misery or frustration. Although voicing your fear about the problem can help you get support from other members who’ve had experience with hard flaccid, obsessively posting can take the positive support of a community and turn it into a negative factor.  The unwillingness to listen to advice or even attempting to place blame may does little to resolve the actual problem- on the contrary- negative thinking and self-pity is a sure way to allow issues to fester.

We hope you’ll find this article useful. If you have any recommendations or ideas to add to the above list please feel free to add your reply below.