Irish Medical Journal After a man in Dublin repeatedly injected himself with semen to relieve chronic back pain, an X-ray revealed an area of trapped air beneath his skin.

A new study published in the Irish Medical Journal recounts the case of a 33-year-old man who was hospitalized after repeatedly injecting himself with semen to relieve chronic back pain.

“This is the first reported case of semen injection for use as a medical treatment,” doctors in Dublin wrote in the case study, titled “‘Semenly’ Harmless Back Pain: An Unusual Presentation of a Subcutaneous Abscess.”

The man’s handmade remedy was reportedly discovered when he showed up at a doctor’s office complaining of severe back pain. While examining the patient, a physician noticed the man’s right arm appeared swollen and inflamed.

The explanation the man gave was one the doctor likely never expected.

“The patient disclosed that he had intravenously injected his own semen as an innovative method to treat back pain,” doctors wrote in the study. “He had devised this ‘cure’ independent of any medical advice.”

The man reportedly said he had purchased a hypodermic needle online and had been injecting himself once a month for the past 18 months. Before visiting the doctor, he said he hurt his lower back while lifting a heavy object and gave himself three doses, according to the study.