Intimacy After Injury: 3 Things You Should About Sex And Spinal Cord Injuries

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Has your partner recently sustained a spinal cord injury? Are you wondering if you'll still be able to be intimate together, and what life in the bedroom will be like if you can? If so, read on for 3 important things you should know moving forward in your relationship with somebody with a spinal cord injury.

Studies Show No Correlation Between Sexual Ability After SCI And Satisfaction Level Of Sex Life

When a team of researchers from Balgrist University Hospital in Switzerland conducted a survey on the sexual health of spinal cord injury patients, they made a very important discovery. They found that, while the participants reported that their injuries affected their sexual function and quality of life, their satisfaction level of their sexual encounters relied on their self body image and mental well-being.

In short, it is not your partner's mobility that will determine the health of your future sexual relations. Instead, it is the strength of your relationship and their ability to overcome the emotional obstacles associated with spinal cord injuries.

Instead of focusing on the physical aspects of sex after injury, focus on good communication with your partner and letting them know that you're attracted to them regardless of their disability. If you can still form a healthy emotional connection with your partner, you absolutely can still have a wonderful sexual relationship with them. 

The Brain Can Receive Pleasure Without Pathing It Through The Spinal Cord

Many of the nerves responsible for the ability to feel sensations are routed through the spinal cord. The vagus nerve, however, is the one of the longest cranial nerves in the body, and it doesn't travel through the spinal cord at all.

The vagus nerve exits the brain stem and branches out in all different directions, connecting major parts of the body, such as the neck, thorax, heart, lungs, and sexual organs. It responds to positive and negative thoughts, and reacts by implementing physiological effects on the body.

It is the emotional aspects of intimacy that trigger the vagus nerve to increase body temperature and elevate breathing and heart rate. Because of the unique routing of the vagus nerve through the body, even those with partial or complete paralysis can feel and experience the effects of sexual arousal. 

There Is A Whole Market For Sexual Mobility Aids

According to Kelly Ace, a private consultant associated with the Sexual Health Network, sexual mobility aids are becoming more popular as society is realizes the importance of intimacy in the psychological well-being of people with disabilities. 

Ace explains that people with disabilities often suffer from low self-esteem, and having a healthy sexual relationship can liberate them by boosting their self-image. In response, the mobility aid market has introduced a variety of tools to assist those with limited mobility in fulfilling sexual relationships.

Among the products on the market include wedges, slings, bed lift kits, and wheelchairs with power tilt switches and removable arm rests. Regardless of your partner's physical limitations, there are tools to help achieve satisfaction in the bedroom. Ace goes on to suggest that, if you're on a limited budget and can't afford sexual mobility aids, you can examine the market options for ideas and then craft your own out of less expensive materials.  

It's perfectly natural to be wondering how your partner's spinal cord injury will affect your future together as an intimate couple. It's important for you to know that there will be changes you need to adjust to, but with some patience and understanding, and perhaps the help of a few mobility aids, you and your partner can resume an active, healthy sexual relationship in the future. For more information about other mobility aids, check out companies like Twin City Stair Lifts.


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