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"A penis can be &amp;#039;propped up&amp;#039; \u2013 either by an external support or by an internal implant. The idea of these devices is to help men who can&amp;#039;t get a good enough erection \u2013 in other words, who suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction (ED).  Generally speaking, you wouldn&amp;#039;t want to use a support or an implant unless you&amp;#039;d already tried medical treatments (like Viagra) and found that they hadn&amp;#039;t helped you.  External supports External supports can be bought from sex shops and mail-order organisations which deal in sex aids. They include &amp;#039;cock cages&amp;#039; \u2013 sheath-like devices which slip over the penis and support it. In Britain, these can currently be bought for anything between \u00A310 and \u00A340. Some types have special &amp;#039;bumps&amp;#039; on the surface, which are supposed to stimulate the woman&amp;#039;s vagina. Also, there are artificial phalluses, which the man wears over his organ. Often, the device is attached by straps.. The idea is that even if the male&amp;#039;s erection is rather wobbly, at least he can give some satisfaction to his partner. Internal supports Internal supports are devices that a surgeon places inside the penis during a delicate and quite difficult operation.  They are often referred to as &amp;#039;implants&amp;#039; or &amp;#039;splints&amp;#039;. No one should consider having an implant until the other methods have been considered carefully.  It&amp;#039;s best to start by consulting your GP, who can advise you whether surgery would really help you. He or she can also refer you to one of the relatively small number of urologists who undertake this kind of operation. How do internal penis supports (implants) work? There are two main types of support that a urological surgeon can put into the penis: semi-rigid and inflatable.  Both types simply make you stiff enough to achieve intercourse, but do not actually give you a natural erection. Please note there&amp;#039;s certainly no guarantee that you will reach orgasm. And I&amp;#039;m afraid that there&amp;#039;s also no guarantee that you will feel a great deal of pleasure from your stiffened penis. Semi-rigid supports These consist of two rods of plastic or silicone that are fitted into the interior of the penis during an operation. They provide some rigidity as well as a certain amount of flexibility.  This means that you can use your hand to point your penis either upwards (for sex) or downwards (when you&amp;#039;re not using it for intercourse). Inflatable supports These much more complex implants consist of two cylinders, a pump and a reservoir. The cylinders, which are placed inside the penis by the surgeon, can be inflated with fluid when you want an erection and deflated after intercourse.  In the operation, the surgeon puts a little pump inside your scrotum, and you press this when you want to have sex. It sends fluid from the reservoir into the two cylinders so your penis becomes stiff.  After sex, you press a valve and the fluid runs back into the reservoir. Therefore, the erection goes down.  There are several variations of this apparatus, but they all rely on a system in which the man pumps fluid from a reservoir into the cylinders inside his penis.  The main advantage of this method is that it looks more natural \u2013 despite the fact that you will have one or two scars (with luck, not very noticeable ones).  There are some disadvantages. For instance, the inflatable prosthesis is expensive and it&amp;#039;s very unlikely that the operation will be available on the NHS in your local hospital. Also, this type of surgery is more complex and involves more parts that can go wrong.  As with any operation on the genitals, there is a risk of infection, bruising and bleeding.  You can now get a useful factsheet about implant operation from the British Association of Urological Surgeons. Ring them on 0207 \u2013 869 6950. Please read the section about possible side-effects very carefully. Who is suitable for a penis implant? Men who may be suitable for implant surgery include those who have:  sustained injury to the erectile tissue within the penis (say, in a car crash);  been damaged by repeated injection treatment;  been damaged by previous surgery, eg for cancer;  had Peyronie&amp;#039;s disease, which causes fibrosis within the erectile tissue;  unsuccessfully tried all other treatments for loss of erection;  become paraplegic.   What if I don&amp;#039;t want surgery and other methods haven&amp;#039;t worked? Assuming all the other available treatments have been exhausted, there are other ways to enrich your sex life to make it exciting and enjoyable.  Vast numbers of men and women are satisfied by other kinds of lovemaking, such as oral sex, use of vibrators and &amp;#039;finger-play&amp;#039;.  Although you will obviously miss being able to have intercourse yourself, it is possible to derive considerable satisfaction from knowing that you can still love and satisfy your partner.  Other people also read: Gastroenteritis: what actually happens? Chlamydia: are there any symptoms? Sexually transmitted disease: how do you find a GUM clinic? Last updated 08.10.2013 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/sexual-health/a2229/penis-supports-and-implants/>