frenulum

Generality

The frenulum, or brake, is a thin strip of fabric that serves to fix or limit the movements of certain organs or parts of them.

Lingual frenula. From wikipedia.org

In the human body, there are several frenula:

the frenulum of the penis, at the male genital level;
the frenulum of the clitoris and the frenulum of the labia minora, in the female genital area;
the frenulum of the tongue, the superior labial frenulum and the inferior labial frenulum, at the oral level;
the frenulum of the superior medullary veil, at the encephalic level;
the frenum of the ileocecal valve, at the intestinal level.

Particularly interesting from the anatomical point of view and also from the pathological point of view are the frenulum of the penis and the frenulum of the tongue.

What is the frenulum?

The frenulum, or brake, is a thin strip of tissue that fixes or limits the movement of some moving parts or parts of them.

The word "frenulo" comes from the Latin word " frenulum ", which means "small brake" and is the diminutive of " frenum " (ie "brake").

Types

Several organs of the human body present a frenulum:

At the male genital level, there is the so-called frenulum of the penis (or frenulum of the foreskin of the penis or the frenulum of the penis ).
At the female genital level, there are the so-called frenulum of the clitoris and frenulum of the labia minora .
At the oral level, there are the so-called lingual frenulum, upper labial frenulum and lower labial frenulum.
In the brain, there is the so-called frenulum of the superior medullary veil (or frenulum veli ).
In the digestive system, precisely in the intestine, there is the so-called frenum of the ileocecal valve .

From an anatomical point of view, the frenulum of the penis, the frenula with an oral site and the frenula located in the female genital apparatus are particularly relevant among these types of frenum.

PENIS BRAKE

The frenulum of the penis foreskin is that thin band of tissue, with elastic capacities, which resides in the lower part of the glans and connects the latter to the foreskin.

The glans and foreskin are, respectively, the head of the penis and the sliding skin fold that covers part or all of the glans.

Returning then to the frenulum of the penis, this is visible only when the penis goes into erection and the foreskin slowly begins to uncover the glans.

From a functional point of view, the penile frenulum performs a task in the mechanics of covering / uncovering the glans and a task in sexual dynamics .

As regards the first task, it limits the distension of the foreskin, when the penis goes into erection, and allows the correct glans covering, when the penis returns flaccid.

As for the second task, it is an area rich in nerve endings, which allow man to experience pleasure during sexual intercourse or to feel pain if his penis is subjected to violent maneuvers.

It may happen that some men develop an anomalous penile frenulum, unable to totally uncover the glans during an erection. Faced with these circumstances, doctors also speak of a short frenulum .

The short frenulum can cause discomfort during erection and affect sexual activity.

To remedy the inconvenience of the short frenulum, those in possession of it can undergo surgery known as frenulotomy . During a frenulotomy operation, the surgeon cuts into the penile frenulum, so that the latter no longer disturbs erection and sexual activity.

In addition to being home to numerous nerve endings, the frenulum of the penis foreskin is rich in blood vessels.

In case of lacerations of the penile frenulum, due for example to incongruous maneuvers during sexual intercourse, these blood vessels can give rise to discrete blood loss.

To learn more: Short Frenulo »

LANGUAGE BRAKE

The lingual frenulum, or frenulum of the tongue, is the thin fibro-mucosal tissue band, which joins the ventral wall of the tongue (or lower surface of the tongue) to the mucosa of the oral floor (or floor of the mouth).

Visible looking in the mirror and lifting the tongue with an open mouth, the lingual frenulum performs the important task of limiting the movements of the tongue.

From the anatomical point of view, the presence, at the base of the frenulum, of two humps, within which there are a series of salivary ducts, deserves a special mention. These salivary ducts act as discharge channels for the submandibular salivary glands (or simply submandibular glands) and sublingual (salivary) glands .

As with the penile frenulum, some people may develop a particularly short lingual frenulum. This anomaly anatomy is called a short lingual frenulum or ankyloglossia .

To learn more: Short lingual frenulo »

UPPER LABORAL BRAKE AND LOWER LABEL BRAKE

The upper labial frenulum is the mucosal tissue band that joins the center of the upper gum to the inner section of the upper lip.

The lower labial frenulum, on the other hand, is the mucosal tissue band that connects the center of the lower gingiva with the inner section of the lower lip.

To be able to appreciate their presence, readers should stand in front of a mirror and turn outwards, respectively, the upper lip and the lower lip.