Anal stretching
Anal stretching is a collective term for exercise techniques that aim to stretch the sphincter muscles of the human anus .
Purpose of the stretch
Anal stretching can be used for medical reasons, but can also be used in erotic for stimulation, e.g. B. as preparation for anal intercourse . Anal stretching is performed using a stretcher. The anal dilator is a medical instrument with a conical shape. It is usually made of plastic or silicone . Usually it is coated with a lubricant .
- Medically, the anal stretcher is used to overcome a reflex spasm of the sphincter muscle in an acute anal fissure and thus supports its healing. In rare cases, it is used as a resistance when training a damaged external sphincter. Before use it is expediently treated with a topical anesthetic , e.g. B. smeared an anesthetic ointment.
- Also atopic eczema can be treated with an anal stretching.
- In addition to medical purposes, the anal stretcher is also used for anal intercourse in order to prepare the sphincter muscle for the strain and thus prevent injuries such as anal fissures or sphincter strains .
In contrast to the butt plug , an anal stretcher does not taper, but has a thicker end to prevent it from accidentally getting completely into the anus.
Risks
The designation of stretching as “training” of the sphincter muscle is misleading, as training involves building up new muscle fibers , which in this case does not occur. Physiologically, it is an overstretching of the sphincter muscle, which carries the risk of long-term consequences and which therefore requires great caution.
It is unclear and ultimately not clearly determinable from what degree and what duration of stretching damage to the sphincter is to be expected. The practitioners' continence initially remains unaffected. Proctologists explain this, however , with the fact that in the first or middle stage of life the muscles of the pelvic floor compensate for possible damage to the sphincter. The sphincter force is reduced by a permanent expansion of the sphincter muscle, which can ultimately lead to fecal incontinence due to the decrease in tissue elasticity in old age .
According to a study on homosexual men practicing anal sex, an increase in the so-called contraction tone and a decrease in the so-called resting tone were recorded. The decrease in resting tone is partly explained by the fact that the subjects who participated in the study were able to relax better because of their habituation to anal sex. According to another opinion, the decrease in the resting tone is a consequence of the overstretching of the sphincter muscle.
Specific studies on the long-term effects of fisting and sexually motivated anal stretching (especially in old age) have not yet been carried out, however, as the relative spread of this practice is a comparatively recent phenomenon, so that possible long-term effects will only become manifest in the future. Existing damage to the sphincter muscle cannot be determined by external inspection, even for a proctologist, but requires an ultrasound examination.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Congress report : Abscess, Fistula and Fissure (PDF; 219 kB) CHAZ, 2005
- ^ AB Chun, S. Rose, C. Mitrani, AJ Silvestre, A. Wald: Anal sphincter structure and function in homosexual males engaging in anoreceptive intercourse. In: The American Journal of Gastroenterology , Volume 92, Number 3, March 1997, pp. 465-468, PMID 9068471 .
- ↑ Luis Sanz: health.unece.net ( Memento from February 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Risk of sphincter damage and anal incontinence after anal dilatation for fissure-in-ano . In: Diseases of the Colon and Rectum , Volume 36, Number 7, July 1993, pp. 677-680, doi: 10.1007 / BF02238595 .
