Sports safety guidelines for children, adolescents, and adults can be helpful in avoiding genital injuries. For example, a male can protect himself by wearing a jock strap and cup.
Long-term effects will vary depending on the cause of the genital injury. Some injuries, such as a cut or small bruise, may heal completely. Other injuries may cause recurrent infection if there was damage to the urinary system, scarring, or atrophy of the testes. If the penis was actually cut off and surgically reattached, the male may have decreased feeling or erectile dysfunction.
A genital injury is not contagious. If the injury is caused by certain conditions, such as a sexually transmitted disease, these conditions may be passed to others.