A little of what you fancy does you good… if done right!

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, which means love is in the air and things tend to get a little more hot and heavy in the bedroom…

It’s also that time of year where we see an increase in people coming into the Not Just Backs clinic whilst sheepishly admitting that their pain arose after having sex. Interestingly, these pains tend to arise in two different groups of people – the younger adults in their 20-30s, and the older generations aged 50 plus.

So, why is this?

Younger people are likely to be more physically active whilst having sex, with some potentially ending up in awkward positions. During heightened pleasure, you are very likely to be unaware of any discomfort due to the sheer number of endorphins being released. That is, until it's all over and the back pain kicks in.

The older person is much stiffer in their joints, and so prolonged positions can really irritate their lumbar joints –  for instance, if you hold your back arched as you would in the missionary position, you can see how this can negatively impact the older spine.

And, with both age groups, it is more common to become sore when you have a new partner… you’re still learning everything about each other after all!

Finally, a question we get asked a lot is: “What position is best with my back pain?”

Well, this all depends. Is this an existing injury, or one that’s resulted from sex? Are you male or female? What is the nature of your pain? And so on. You’re much better off coming in and speaking to one of us (no need to be shy!) about your specific problem.

However, just as an example, if you have pain when you bend to touch your toes then the most likely comfortable position would be doggy, especially for the man. This is because there is a lot less contortion of the spine in this position.

Now, considering missionary is the most popular position out there, in order for you to help relieve your back (when you’re on the bottom that is!), try putting a pillow under your pelvis. This then flexes your spine, therefore opening the spinal joints and avoiding any unnecessary pain. 

There is plenty more to this subject, so if you would like me to elaborate more then do let me know!

I understand that this can be an embarrassing problem to discuss, but if you’re in pain, isn’t a few minutes of blushing worth it to be pain-free again? And remember, we’re health professionals, we’ve seen and heard it all!

Give us a call on 01722 512043 now and we can book you in for a consultation. Alternatively, you can book an appointment online by clicking here.