September 06th, 2014

Sex Tips

1. Warm up.  Just like with any exercise program, a warm bath and a few gentle stretches will make you more flexible.  If you are experiencing acute pain icing the area before and after sexual activity may help reduce inflammation.   Ask your doctor for warm up exercises.  
2. Heat up together.  Standing holding your naked bodies together-skin to skin, heart to heart, breath to ear-to awaken your mind and your body for the process.  In these times, hormones are released to help swell, lubricate and erect the parts you will use more later.  In these moments watch that your spine is in good alignment with the inwards curve in your lower back maintained.   The heat of your partners hand on the lower back and sacrum or light massage is a gentle wake up call to the sacral root chakra of creative and sexual energy.
   
3. Cook up a storm.   Be creative in trying different positions but be smart in stopping if you feel pain.  In the heat of the moment, the adrenaline rush may drown out the pain but may cause aggravation of your complaint later.   In most cases, the partner experiencing pain would be most secure laying on their back with their lower back supported (by your partners hands, a pillow or a rolled up towel) with a moderate bend in the knees.  Other modifications to this for example, on all fours doggie style or sitting and straddling your partner where the back curve is maintained.  Click this link to 101 sexual positions to keep your communication open and your creative juices running. 
   

Back Pain is one of the most common conditions that effect the level of participation, performance and enjoyment in sexual activity.  In my 17 years as a chiropractor, this was a common reported aggravating factor but often patients felt a little awkward discussing the detail.  Perhaps this article will take away some of the back pain mystery to give you back the love-making magic!  Statistics report over 80% of people will suffer back pain at some point in their life.  So even if this article doesn't apply to you in this moment, it may in the future. 

Sexual activity is not just a pleasurable physical act but one of bonding intimately with your loved one.  Love-making has many of the same health benefits as any other type of exercise- lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, relaxing muscles and improving sleep (or in some cases inducing sleep, especially for men ;).  So provided the position is good and everyone stays awake, sex may actually be a good therapy for your pain.  The release of the hormone oxytocin during sexual contact is a part of the neurobiology of human bonding. It is released in men and women during warm touch, hugs and prolonged eye contact. According to researcher Paul Zak, the oxytocin effects of a single hug lasts an hour!   It has a relaxing effect on the muscles and a feel good effect in the body.  The moral of this story is, build slowly and enjoy it.  Remember your postures in foreplay are just as important as the intercourse positions for your hormone biology and your back.

There are several different structures that can irritate the nerves and cause back pain- the joints (spinal facet joints, pelvis), the soft tissue (muscles, ligaments and tendons) and the disc.  Your chiropractor will diagnosis and better advise for your particular condition but the guide lines I'll set out will generally give some relief to most.  The lumbar curve should be maintained and the knees bent at 90 degree angles.  In this neutral position the structures of your back have less strain, and the curve in your spine acts like a coil in a spring helping dissipate mechanical stress put upon your spine.  If the back pained partner is laying on their back on a moderately firm surface with a small pillow or roll in the lower back curve with their knees bent or held from 30-90 degrees, the bed or other firm surface will reduce much of the vigorous movement of spinal structures and support the pelvis.  Any combination of this position would also likely be helpful in reducing aggravation such as being on your hands and knees in the doggie position or side lying keeping a slight bend in the knees and an inwards curve in the back.  Contracting the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles will not only make you look good and feel your orgasm more intensely but will also provide a brace of support for your back. In most acute back conditions bending forward positions where the lower back is rounded out may likely aggravate.  Hold on the Hollywood porn star positions until your back pain is gone and your are advised that the mechanical problem is resolved. Instead, use this time to connect with your partner, be creative and have fun turning mystery into magic.