Before the advent of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra the options open to man with erectile dysfunction were limited, much more time consuming and more costly. There were only really 2 options open for an impotent man pre Viagra and they were to get physically fit or to have a penile implant. In the first case Doctors would often advise men that the cause of their erectile dysfunction was due to bad arterial health and high blood pressure and that a better diet and a spot of exercise could improve sexual function.

If the erectile dysfunction was still apparent after getting fit and healthy a penile implant was the only cure. There are a few different types of penile implants available but they basically all work in the same way by pumping blood manually or with a little motor into the penis until it is erect and rigid. Penile implants require surgery and can be painful to have inserted but they can also give good results in the long term.

Recently a man called Mr Charles Lennon finally won his 10 year court battle against the maker of a penile implant he bought that only gave him trouble and stress. He said it never worked properly and the main problem was that even though it would work and give him an erection the implant never worked properly for coming down and thus he was left for hours on end with an erection that after time would be painful and embarassing.

Mr Lennon from Rhode Island is 68 years old and has finally got a 400,000 dollar payout from the company that made and sold him the plastic penis and implant. In the court evidence he said that the implant has been nothing but a problem and has turned him into a recluse. The faulty device also gave him much pain and anxiety over the last 10 years.

The firm that sold the penile implants has since gone bankrupt along with many others that were beaten out of the marketplace by the arrival of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra and more so by the rivals Cialis and Levitra.