KINKY sex relieves the pain of a bad back or arthritis, research suggests.
Those with a taste for whips and handcuffs in the bedroom reported health benefits as well as sexual enjoyment in the study.
1
Many said they experienced short-term relief from chronic pain after a session with a Miss Whiplash.
It is said to be down to the simultaneous release of stress hormones in response to the pain and the feelgood hormone dopamine during a bondage session — known as BDSM.
Researcher Reni Forer said: “Many BDSM practitioners experience benefits beyond sexual pleasure. Given the overlap in brain circuitry involved, BDSM could unknowingly result in pain relief for people with chronic pain.”
Up to half of us are believed to live with long-term aches and pains from conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia or long-term injuries.
The study, from the University of Michigan in the US, involved 525 people into BDSM, short for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism.
Four in ten of them also suffered from chronic pain, defined as lasting longer than three months.
In the study, 35 per cent said they felt pain relief after a kinky romp.
A similar proportion said it helped to increase their pain tolerance and their ability to talk about their condition or cope with it emotionally.
Ms Forer said: “Participation can also benefit other aspects of one’s life, including trauma processing, decreased psychological distress and higher wellbeing.”
A recent Australian study found nine out of ten back pain remedies were no good, with no proof there was any benefit from steroids, paracetamol, acupuncture, heat or massage.
