Back pain sex without pain

Back problems: Sex positions without pain

09/11/2014

Canadian researchers have studied the course of the sexual act and learned from it which position is appropriate for which type of back pain. At least for the man; the results of the women should be presented in a few months.

For men with back problems, sex can be agony
„Many couples remain celibate“, because already one night of „Make love“ could lead to months of back pain. This is what Stuart McGill, biomechanist at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, says. As the expert explained in various press reports, sexual intercourse for men with back problems can be such a painful affair that many of them even give up completely or confine themselves - after consultation with their doctor - to a certain position. „So far, physicians had no scientific facts to base their recommendations on“, McGill explained.

Not every position is suitable for everyone
In order to create this scientific basis, the movement researcher, together with his colleague Natalie Sidorkewicz, watched ten heterosexual couples having sex, filmed and measured their attitudes. This is a kind of recommendation catalog for men with back pain came out, the scientists now in the journal „Spine“ have published. Among other things, they come to the conclusion that the often recommended by doctors spoon position, where both partners are on the side, is not advisable for all. „Sex positions suitable for one type of back pain are not for another“, so Sidorkewicz.

Three positions in five variations
For example, for patients who have problems bending their backs and could not sit for a long time, the researchers recommend the so-called doggy style where the man is behind his partner. It should be noted that the impact movement during intercourse in such cases should come from the hip and not from the spine. For the study, the participating men and women should play a total of three positions with five variations (in addition to the two positions mentioned, the missionary position was analyzed). Here, a method was used, which is also used in the production of animated films. At selected points of the body thereby points are attached, which were captured by cameras and converted into motion sequences in the computer.

For the first time sound scientific data on the topic
„This is the first time that we have been able to document how different positions in sex affect tissues, measured muscle activity levels, and tracked how body stress migrates“, McGill summarized. „Therefore, we now know why certain positions are tolerable for some people and incompatible for others.“ In particular, men with herniated disc pain to curve their spine. „For the first time, we now have very solid scientific data that physicians can rely on if their patients want to get intimate despite crippling back pain“, Sidorkewicz said, according to a press release. „This can improve the quality of life - and sex life - for many couples.“

Some men try to avoid orgasm
Beyond the analysis of the various positions, the study also reveals for the first time, according to the researchers „Mechanics of male orgasm“. As McGill said, many patients with back problems suffered from particularly intense pain just at the moment of orgasm: „This often leads to men trying to avoid orgasm while having sex with their partners.“ However, this was not allowed in the male subjects of the study. Rather, their muscles were wired and provided with electrodes to detect tension during the climax. Thus, not the back muscles, but a drastic stretch or curvature of the spine seems to be the cause.

How women stay painless
The part of the study, which aims to provide information on how women suffering from back problems stay as painless as possible during sex, will be published in the coming months. Currently, the scientists are recruiting more subjects with hip and different back problems to further improve the tips for a pleasant, painless love life with the help of new research. (Ad)

Image: Tom Kleiner