Whipping and back problems

RS1981 · Jun 9, 2013

My sub expressed interest in being whipped, but I'm concerned because she has a pinched nerve in her lower back, and pressure would aggravate it. Is there anything we could do to avoid excessive pain (I'm pretty sure that's still a thing even in BDSM lol) or damage besides aiming above the area? Or is whipping not recommended because of the risk?

sebastian · Jun 10, 2013

RS: When you say 'whipping', do you mean flogging with a multi-tail flogger or using an actual single-tail whip? Single-tails are extremely challenging to use and to receive; they are not beginning level play by any means. If you have never done flogging before, start there and graduate up to single-tails after a LOT of practice.

When you do flogging (and whipping), you NEVER intentionally hit the lower back (the lumbar spine, the region below the rib cage and above the buttocks) because there's nothing to protect the kidneys. So when you flog her, you won't be directly striking the region with the pinched nerve. Instead, you target the upper back (the shoulders, shoulder blades, and so on, while not directly striking the upper, thoracic, spine). There's bone and muscle there, which means it's fairly safe to flog there. So in theory, you ought to be able to flog her upper back with no risk to her lower back.

That said, nerves are tricky things, and the place where the pain is may not be the place where the actual trouble is, and there might be spots in her upper back that will be flare the nerve. During flogging, some subs like to writhe around and struggle, which could also trigger the nerve pain.

I am not a medical doctor, so take what I'm saying with a dose of salt. But I think you could probably get a flogger and do some light flogging of her upper back. If that doesn't trigger her nerve pain, gradually go harder. I think you can flog her upper back without too much trouble if it's not triggering the nerve pain.

RS1981 · Jun 10, 2013

Yeah, we discussed that we'd use floggers first, and then graduate to single tails. I see your point about keeping it on the upper back, and I agree, I'm just afraid I might miss, even after practice with a single tail. I suppose I'm looking too far ahead which isn't a good idea, but she does want it at some point. I've seen videos where the sub was whipped on her lower back, so that's why I mentioned it.

sebastian · Jun 10, 2013

The classic rule with a single-tail is that you don't use it on a live person until you can turn off a light switch with it. That might be a bit exaggerated, but it does convey the basic point--single-tails are extremely advanced toys. Also, a single-tail will, at a bare minimum, raise large welts, and more likely will break skin. They are quite painful, so they are for advanced pain subs only. Also, it will probably put your sub into some form of subspace, and she will require quality aftercare. There's a reason that whipping was historically used as a serious punishment for slaves and criminals. It's very harsh.

If you and your sub want to explore single-tails, my advice would be to make it a goal to work toward over the course of a year or two. Find an experienced single-tail dom and ask him or her for mentoring. There's a fairly large BDSM community in the greater DC area, so you ought to be able to find someone who can teach you.

Since you're just beginning, I hesitate to offer this link, because I don't want you to just run out and buy a single-tail tomorrow, but this page has a lot of good information for you. Read it through and think about it as part of your plan to learn whipping. http://www.asubmissivesjourney.com/singlev2.html

RS1981 · Aug 13, 2013

Thanks sebastian, that site should definitely give me a good amount of information to consider before I'm ready to graduate to whips, which will be a good while. As for aftercare, I'm more than willing to offer that of course, even if we're not doing extremely intense scenes. I know how pain affects me, I've dealt with pain bad enough to nearly make me pass out before so I can empathize with her, which in my opinion is important for a Dom to be able to do on some level. Don't worry about hesitating around me by the way, I know it's common practice in the community to be cautious about advice but I'm very patient when it comes to these things, I have been since I started.

GoneTo · Apr 24, 2014

Thanks for this!

Whipping and back problems

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