12th Sep 2014
Sunalie Silva all articles by this author
A STUDY using motion capture technology provides new information on sexual positions that may exacerbate back pain in some men.
The findings could help men with lower back pain (LBP) to avoid the triggers that cause pain during sex which can eventually lead to less intimacy with partners.
Researchers from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, said a lack of evidence-based guidelines on how to avoid triggering back pain during sex prompted the research.
Ten healthy male and female couples who had been in their relationship for four years or more were recruited for the study and filmed using an electromagnetic motion capture system while they had sex.
The researchers were in a separate booth where they could hear, but not see, the participants.
Couples were randomised to one of five different coitus positions – missionary, sidelying and two variants of quadruped (rear-entry, in which the female is in the quadruped position and the male is kneeling behind her).
Interestingly, the researchers found that the sidelying or ‘spooning’ position – the position most commonly recommended for all people with LBP – actually produced the greatest strain on the male partner's spine if he was flexion-intolerant.
For men with that particular back pain trigger, the study suggested that the quadruped position was far less likely to aggravate the back problem.
In general, the researchers found that the person on top – whether male or female – was most responsible for motion.
For men who are motion intolerant, all positions included in the study were found to aggravate back pain. Researchers said these patients should be advised to try coital movements that were more hip-dominant rather than spine-dominant.
This technique may also be beneficial for the flexion – and extension-intolerant patient, but the effectiveness of this movement pattern intervention will require further investigation, they said.
The study also found that even a seemingly subtle change in posture – for example, the male supporting his upper body with his elbows during different variations of the missionary position – altered the spine movement profile significantly and was among the more spine-conserving coital positions.
However, supporting the upper body with the hands while in the missionary position was among the least spine conserving for flexion-intolerant patients.
Even a slight adjustment in the female partner's posture – for example, the female supporting her upper body with her elbows or her hands during different variations of the quadruped position affected the male spine movement profile, the authors said, which might suggest that the partner may be an integral factor in the intervention.
The researchers said they hoped that their data would help doctors to provide specific recommendations to the male LBP patient, including specific coital positions and movement strategies, to avoid LBP triggers during sex.
Spine 2014; online 15 Sept
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