Safety: the buttocks

 

See also the articles about safety in general  for hitting with whips or slapping the face

 

Even when the dangers of seriously hurting somebody by spanking is minimal, being the buttocks the most popular target I think they deserve some special attention. I'm not trained in Medicine, Anatomy or nothing akin, (but for what I've learned in High School ()) so I've researched a little in the web. (But the drawings are mine)

 

First of all, how are the hips in the inside? Let's see the front

 

 

As you can see, the bone structure (in yellow) is massive and very strong, because it is the central structure of the body, giving support to our upright posture and supporting and protecting the internal organs. Several of them rest in the front of the pelvic bowl formed by these bones, so the front is a no hitting area. 

 

Hitting on the sides of the hips could chip or break the illium just under the waist, or the head of the femur at the hip itself. These bones are so little protected, that you can actually touch them just under the skin. Then, do not hit there.

 

As for spanking in the buttocks, the only thing that can be damaged is the sciatic nerve, but it is at the front of the pelvic bones and runs on the inside of the femur, so it cannot be easily damaged when hitting on the other side with the hand or some normal punishment instrument. (If you consider a baseball bat a "normal punishment instrument", you don't need to read ahead. No matter how much you learn, you will hurt your bottom.) The sciatic controls the movements of the legs and feet.

 

Now let's see it from the back:

 

 

You can still see the sciatic nerve, but is still at the internal side of the femur, and massively padded by muscle and fat. It can only be damaged by a very hard blow with a heavy instrument.  The danger here is in the bones:  the coccyx, the "tailbone", that is the end of the spine, and that is in the middle of the buttocks, very near the surface. It runs very low inside the buttocks. I strongly recommend that you check the position of your sub's coccyx by following the spine downwards between the buttocks' cheeks with your finger. It is not always as neatly positioned in real life than in my drawings. A little over the coccyx you can see the sacrum, that is also near the skin and is also part of the spine. 

 

Be sure that you don't hit the bones.

 

You should hit the lower part of the buttocks, to keep clear of those two bones if you are hitting with anything heavier than the palm of your hands.

 

That is easily seen if you see a side view of the area.

 

 

If you hit high, (say, higher than the cleft of the buttocks) you will hit over the sacrum, that is barely covered by muscle. When the body is straight (standing or liying on a bed of other surface), the relaxed buttocks pad most of the impact of the blows hitting the lower half.

 

A different situation is involved when the body is bending:

 

 

Now the coccyx is mostly out of reach, unless you hit almost vertically. But now, as the muscles of the buttocks are tensed, the vulnerable part is the ischium, that is less padded than when the waist is straight. So, you should not use a heavy element, as a thick stick or a heavy paddle with the victim bent. The hand, the school cane, a  regular paddle are still reasonable safe, as are the belt, the strap or a riding crop. (I'm talking about impact damage. For other risks, read safety considerations).

 

Another reason for not using heavy instruments in a bent person, is the risk of hitting the genitals. If the buttocks are skinny, or somewhat flat, it is possible for the genitals, especially in women, to protrude or at least to be near the level of the back of the buttocks, and you risk hitting  them when the impact flattens the flesh. Be careful, because a heavy blow on the genitals can damage seriously your partner.

 

The drawings above explain why the safer area for hitting is about this one :

 

 

Do not hit on the thighs lower than shown , because there are tendons and nerves inside the legs that could be damaged, and the padding is less and less as you go down the legs. 

 

Be careful also if your bottom is skinny. Hit only in areas where bones and internal structures are conveniently protected by muscles or fat.

 

Of course, you cannot hit a fellow human being with total safety. (You can't ski, or surf, or play football with total safety, not mentioning the risk of extreme sports as walking alone in the streets by night, which can be practiced in any big city of the world). The pain we cherish is in itself a sign that you are making some damage. 

 

Hitting sanely in the buttocks is as safe as this game can be, as proved by all the living human beings that had been spanked as children and go around physically unharmed.

 

Published: 04/04/03