When it comes to sex, you gotta put your back into it!
But not like...TOO much into it.
Hey everyone, Laci Green here for DNews.
Imagine having a magic night of sexytimes and hurting your back so bad that you can’t
have sex again for MONTHS.
It’s a thing, people.
Sex can agitate all kinds of back aches and pains - in fact, nearly 4 out of 5 people
will experience debilitating back pain at some point in their lives.
But we have (surprisingly) never had any hard science on how to advise those people for
optimal comfort during sex - UNTIL NOW.
While spooning was generally regarded as the best sex position for people with back pain
in the past, new research at the University of Waterloo has found that it’s actually
the WORST position.
And to be honest, I kind of thought spooning was just a cuddling position because it seems
like it would be really hard to move.
Maybe I shouldn’t teach sex ed.
To figure out the best positions, they hooked couples up with 8 infrared motion capture
sensors -- similar to what animators use when making video games.
This monitored the position of the spine during 5 common sex positions for 20 seconds each.
It also monitored what muscles were being used during sex and orgasm.
They wanted to test more than 5 positions, and specifically “cowgirl”, but the lead
researcher said 5 positions is already a lot to ask of the participants.
It’s unclear if he was in the room while all this...data….was being collected….
The researchers found that, in general, doggy-style is the best position if you have lower back
pain.
I can just hear it now: “but honey…..my back!”
I also learned from the report, which was published in the journal Spine, that scientists
refer to doggystyle as the “rear entry quadruped position” - in case you’re trying to sound
official about it in bed.
Missionary position where you’re on your HANDS, not elbows, is also easier on the back.
They advise that motions be made with the hips and knees rather than the spine.
We also learned from their data that it’s not actually the back muscles but the abs
and butt that do the heavy lifting when a guy orgasms.
The research on women with bad backs will be out in a few months.
It’s exciting research and it’s good to have some formal recommendations.
But it kind of makes me wonder...if you have back pain, wouldn’t the best solution be
to do some of your own experimentation?
Y’know...try out a position and if it makes you feel like you’re suddenly 90 years old
- try another one.
Get freaky people.
It’s for science.
Thanks for joining me for DNews everyone.
Please report on your scientific findings in the comments below.
We’ll see you next time!