Risks of Pain Play

By its nature, painful bondage requires careful risk management. In addition to the standard precautions that apply to any kind of bondage, it’s important to understand and manage the specific risks associated with this type of bondage.

Nerve damage

Nerve damage is the most common bondage-related injury and is typically caused by placing tight rope over a location where a nerve is especially vulnerable. Because bondage for pain often uses very tight rope, it’s especially important to avoid vulnerable areas:

• The arms are more vulnerable to nerve damage than the legs, so we avoid putting painfully tight rope on them.
• Avoid the common peroneal nerve, which is vulnerable on the outside of the leg just below the knee.

Skin abrasion and marks

Painfully tight rope can leave marks on the skin, which may fade within minutes or last for days. Visible rope marks can be very awkward: think carefully about what parts of your body it’s ok to leave marks on, especially if you don’t have enough experience with bondage to know how long marks are likely to last on you.

Rope burn

Rope burn occurs when rope is pulled too fast over skin, especially if the rope is under tension. As well as being very painful, bad rope burns can leave scars. Synthetic rope is more prone to causing rope burn than natural fiber rope.

Joint damage

Never tie over a joint or tendon, especially when you’re doing painfully tight bondage.