Back Pain Adversely Affects Sex Life

Back pain might actually hamper your sex life, says a new research. "Before now, spooning was often recommended by physicians as the one position that fit all. But as we've discovered, that is not the case," said Natalie Sidorkewicz, a PhD candidate at Waterloo and lead author on the paper. "Sex positions that are suitable for one type of back pain aren't appropriate for another kind of pain."

The atlas recommends that men who are flexion-intolerant – meaning those whose back pain is made worse by touching their toes or sitting for long periods of time, for example – replace spooning with doggy-style sex. The guide recommends that these men use a hip-hinging motion rather than thrusting with their spines. "For the first time ever, we now have very solid science to guide clinicians on their recommendations for patients who suffer debilitating back pain, but still want to be intimate," said Sidorkewicz. "This has the potential to improve quality of life – and love-life – for many couples." According to Statistics Canada, four of every five people will experience at least one episode of disabling low back pain in their lifetime. Up to 84 percent of men with low back pain and 73 percent of women report a significant decrease in the frequency of intercourse when suffering back pain.

The study also shed light for the first time on the mechanics of the male orgasm. Electrodes hooked up to the male participants' muscles revealed that it is abdominal and buttock, not back muscles, that are most active during orgasm. Spine motion, on the other hand, varied with the individual. For some males, a drastic increase in flexion or extension was seen, while for others spine motion did not change much at all.

Source-Eurekalert