Testicular torsion is a disorder of the testicles caused by the twisting of the spermatic cord. In order to understand how this rare condition occurs, it is important to understand the structure of the testicles. Located just below the abdomen, the testicles are two, small oval organs that descend outside the body within a sac called the scrotum. Within the scrotum, the testicles are each suspended by a spermatic cord. If the cord becomes twisted, the blood supply is cut off to the testicle, resulting in the condition known as torsion. The testicles play a vital role for the human male body as the producer of sperm and the supplier of the male sex hormone testosterone.

While there is often no known cause for the torsion of the spermatic cord, the condition may occasionally be present at birth. Certain physical activity may also result in an...