A 28-YEAR-OLD South African man has put new meaning to the term "put a ring on it".

The man managed to put a wedding ring on his peenis.

He told medical personnel he did it for "erotic pleasure" . . . but only managed to cause unbearable pain for himself!

The incident was described as "peenis strangulation" by the South African Medical Journa. It is a rare medical emergency.

The journal said the man arrived at the Van Velden Hospital in Tzaneen, Limpopo, with his mother after he put a wedding ring around his peenis four hours earlier. It was "for erotic reasons" and he did it "on the recommendation of friends".

He was rushed to the emergency room's operating theatre and placed under anaesthesia. An attempt was made to remove the ring through the string method (normally used to remove tight rings). But it did not work, according to the doctor.

Then they used an orthopaedic saw, but the ring was too wide and strong, and there was not enough space because of the swelling.

Then they used needles! The made several punctures in his peenis to release the stored blood. It worked, according to the article.

"Peenis strangulation" can cause permanent damage such as loss of sensation and even gangrene. Sometimes the peenis has to be amputated.

The man returned to hospital a month later for a check-up and everything was fine.