A man developed an abscess after injecting himself with semen in an attempt to treat back pain, a new report found.

The 33-year-old devised what he believed was a “cure” for back pain, independent of any medical advice.

But instead he needed to be hospitalised, and doctors have warned people of the risks posed by medical experimentation.

An examination at a Dublin hospital revealed he had an abscess on his right arm.

He then admitted to doctors that he had injected his own semen into his arm every month for 18 months using a needle he purchased online.

The man had a history of chronic lower back pain. But he complained of severe, sudden onset lower back pain after he lifted a heavy steel object three days before presenting at the hospital.

An X-ray showed he also had emphysema and an oedema – a build-up of watery fluid – under the skin.

An intravenous antimicrobial drip was used to treat the man and his condition improved, but he opted to discharge himself without allowing doctors to make an incision and drain the “collection” of fluid.

The report, published in the Irish Medical Journal, was conducted by Dr Lisa Dunne of the Adelaide and Meath Hospital.

It was entitled ‘Semenly’ Harmless Back Pain: An Unusual Presentation of a Subcutaneous Abscess.

Dr Dunne said it was the first reported case of a person injecting semen as a medical treatment.

She found there were no other reported cases of intravenous semen injection found across medical literature.

A broader search of internet sites and forums by Dr Dunne also failed to find any evidence of semen injection for back pain treatment.

Dr Dunne concluded that this case demonstrated the “risks involved with innovative treatments”.

PA