In a new study, researchers have suggested that men with back pain should replace spooning style sex with doggy-style sex.
The researchers from University of Waterloo claim that contrary to popular belief, spooning is not always the best sex position for those with a bad back, and have for the first time ever, successfully documented the way the spine moves during sex and discovered exactly why certain positions are better than others when it comes to avoiding back pain.
The pioneering study combined infrared and electromagnetic motion capture systems to track how 10 couples' spines moved when attempting five common sex positions. The findings were used to create an atlas, or set of guidelines, that recommends different sex positions and thrusting techniques based on what movements trigger a patient's pain.
Lead author of the study Natalie Sidorkewicz, said that sex positions that are suitable for one type of back pain aren't appropriate for another kind of pain, and they had solid science to guide clinicians on their recommendations for patients who suffer debilitating back pain who wanted to be intimate.
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.
The study is published in the journal Spine.