ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS NOT NEEDED DURING EXERCISE
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Many men wear athletic supporters when they exercise because they think it helps to prevent
hernias. It doesn't.
The testicles are held in place by skin called the scrotum, that does its job so well that additional
support is not necessary. Sperm travels through a tube, called the spermatic cord, that extends just
under the skin from the testicle to the groin, where it passes through a small hole in the muscular
abdominal wall into the belly. A hernia occurs when the tissue around the hole is torn. Intestine
can pass through the hole, creating a bulge in the groin.
Holding up the scrotum with an athletic supporter does nothing to prevent a tear in the abdominal
wall. Once a hernia forms and the belly wall is torn, it will never close by itself. Surgery is the only
cure.
The only sports that require athletic supporters are those in which the testicle may be twisted, such
as diving into water. An athletic supporter holds the testicle closer to the body so that it is far less
likely to twist and pinch off the blood supply.
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