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GrizzlyBear -> RE: Hands Falling Asleep (8/30/2006 10:50:55 PM)
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It is important to determine why your hands fall asleep. It can be either reduced circulation, or nerve compression or damage. There are many causes for both.
If the bondage is causing circulation to be reduced, the affected area will appear dark red, then purple. This is a sign of venous blood pooling there. That can be tolerated for quite a while, perhaps a half hour, because blood is still coming in. Test capillary refill by pressing with the thumb - the spot should turn much lighter while being pressed, then red again quickly when pressure is released. If the hands are pale white and cold, it means arterial blood is cut off. That takes a lot of pressure. It must not last more than about 5 minutes, or tissue damage may begin.
Numbness due to decreased blood supply may be caused by arterial disease, or by low blood pressure. It may manifest just by the position of the hands being kept raised above the head, without any bondage. See a doctor about this one. It can indicate disease that needs to be treated.
Numbness due to nerve compression must be remedied immediately. The condition that caused it must be identified and not repeated. Nerve compression injuries are cumulative, and do not always resolve. They are also quite common among bondage bottoms, especially those who are often suspended. The hands can be numbed by pressure at several different points on the arm, not just at the wrist. It is actually more common for this sort of damage to occur in the middle of the upper arm than at the wrist, unless metal cuffs are used. The wise bondage top knows the position of nerves likely to be affected by various ties, and avoids putting excessive pressure on them. Thin and light-bodied women are more susceptible to these problems because there is less padding of muscle protecting the nerves.
In a strappado position, it is also possible for the position itself to put pressure on the brachial nerve plexus, which is located near the armpit.
Finally, diabetic neuropathy should be ruled out. It begins with sporadic numbness and/or tingling in various spots in the hands and feet. The nerves also become much more sensitive to damage from other pressure. And it is often compounded by the reduced circulation that diabetes also causes. Neuropathy often begins before other symptoms cause a diabetic to seek medical care. A friend lost both his feet because he didn't know he had diabetes, and his feet got infected. He couldn't feel the pain due to neuropathy.
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