Month: January 2012

This entry is a summary of the video “Corsets, Nerves & Pain” which you can watch here:

I have always stated that I never feel pain when I corset. Granted, there were times that corsets have been uncomfortable, like how shoes are uncomfortable before you break them in, or parting your hair on the other side of your head is uncomfortable, but this discomfort in a new corset always subsides within a few hours or days. However, it never gets to the point of pain for me.

However other experienced corseters have mentioned that they are never quite comfortable in a corset. On Romantasy.com, Ann Grogan mentions that on a pain scale of 1-10 her corsets are consistently around a 6. What does this mean, and how can we explain this discrepancy?

Does it mean their corsets are worse quality than my own? Of course not; Ms Grogan owns corsets from some of the best modern corsetieres.

Does it means I’m a total wuss when it comes to pain? I definitely can be, I don’t have a high tolerance to pain and I don’t like it. However I can still successfully cinch down to 22 inches.

The best explanation I can find is that I must have a high pain threshold – this is related to the way my body was formed and this is different to pain tolerance.

What kinds of nerves are there?

Neurons (nerve cells) come in two different flavours:
Sensory nerves: the nerves that send signals from your body to your brain. These help you feel. These types of nerves are the ones that we will focus on in this entry.
Motor nerves: the nerves that send signals from your brain to parts of your body. These help you move.

How do nerves work?

Speaking very simply, nerves hold a charge, kind of like batteries. When they hold a charge we say that the cell is polarized. When they get the appropriate signal (by something touching our skin, in the case of sensory nerves) they release this charge, so the cell is now depolarized. This little depolarization signal travels down the axons of a cell.

Think of this action potential being kind of like a relay race, where the signal is like a little messenger running down the axon (the axon being like a long corridor leading to the next nerve). When the next neuron down the line receives the signal, it also depolarizes, releasing its charge, and the tiny runner (signal) gets relayed to the next nerve in line. This continues along each nerve cell in line until the signal reaches the brain. Once the brain makes sense of this signal, you become aware that you “felt” something. All this happens in a tiny fraction of a second!

 Different sensory nerves are built for reading different signals.

Nerves have many receptors (receptors being related to the word “RECEIVE”) because they receive and pick up information. These receptors are like doors and only certain signals, like keys, can open these doors.

Mechanoreceptors sense mechanical changes: touch and pressure like poking, scratching, fluttering etc. These mechanoreceptors open up simply by pushing open the door.

Nocireceptors sense both temperature and pain. Pain can obviously also be mechanic, like tearing or crushing your flesh, but there are many other types that have to have a certain key to open the door and sense, say, changes in temperature. One example is the molecule capsaicin. Capsaicin is present in spicy foods and your nerves may interpret it as heat – and in high enough quantities, pain. A molecule that opens up temperature receptors and gives you a cold sensation is, not surprisingly, menthol. This is why something warm, like peppermint tea, can still give you a cool refreshing sensation. However, if you have any part of your body get too cold (like frost nip), it will hurt!

 What’s the point of all this?

Basically, the feeling of pain depends on how many nerves you have, the type of signal your nerves are receiving, and how concentrated this signal is / how many receptors you have on your nerves.

Just like every tree has a somewhat random organization of branches, everybody’s nervous system is built differently (even identical twins!). We used to think that neurons stopped growing once you were born, but we now know that nerves CAN grow; they can branch out and become thicker in response to stimuli.  It then stands to reason that some people have more sensitive bodies than others. We all have different thresholds for sensation and different levels of pain. Consider the huge range of tolerance to spicy food! So, why would it be any different for separate people having differing levels of tolerance to corseting? I have a body that easily tolerates a corset. Other people don’t.

If your body can easily take the pressure of waist reduction and your friend can’t, don’t tease them or berate them – it doesn’t necessarily mean they are weak or cowardly; their bodies just cannot tolerate it. Likewise, if you have tried on a corset once and found it to be extremely uncomfortable or painful, don’t automatically assume that everyone who corsets must be a masochist. Some people (like myself) actually do feel comfortable and “at home” in a corset!

 I desperately want to corset, but I find them so uncomfortable! What can I do?

You can still wear corsets but you will need more time to get used to the pressure. Some of your sensory nerves get used to a consistent signal over time and become desensitized – sort of like you can feel yourself putting on a shirt in the morning but you don’t feel it on your skin all day. So if you want to start wearing a corset, try wearing it with little or no reduction for several weeks or until you get used to the feeling. Once you get to the point where you forget that you’re wearing it, tighten it just ¼ inch at a time and wait several weeks or a month before tightening it again. It may be a very slow process and take you several years to achieve your goal, but you can absolutely waist train safely, responsibly and without pain.

Lucy’s Little Life Lesson: “No pain, no gain” is a myth. Don’t believe it, nor live by it.

*Please note that this article is strictly my opinion and provided for information purposes. It is not intended to replace the advice of a medical doctor. Please talk to your doctor if you’d like to start wearing a corset.*

This entry is a summary of the video “Corsets and your Bones” which you can watch here:

Corsets and the Spine

The first and most important thing I should say is that a good corset should not affect the position of the spine. A study done by Dr. Robert Dickinson in 1910 shows how some corset styles can cause forward-leaning posture, backward-leaning posture, stoop (slouching) and other unnatural postures which can later cause other skeletal issues by overcompensation of the muscles that help you balance.  The S-curve or Edwardian corsets used during the time of this study were built to have a flat front and a fairly curved lumbar area, forcing the wearer into a forward-leaning posture where her bust would be thrust forward and her bottom would be tilted back. This posture would eventually give the wearer swayback (lumbar lordosis), actually affecting the permanent curvature of the spine. For this reason I never wear traditional Edwardian style corsets and I do not recommend anyone waist train in these corsets. If you love the look and feel of Edwardian corsets, I would suggest wearing them only occasionally.

For Victorian style corsets, modern corsets and “Edwardian inspired” corsets made today, the wearer’s spine is usually should not be affected. If you find your corset is causing you to arch your back unnaturally in any direction, it is not well-made for your body. This is one of the important reasons for having personal fittings and mockups when having a custom corset made; not only to be sure that your corset is shaped beautifully but also to ensure that your spinal curvature is not being manipulated into an unnatural shape.

Corsets and the Ribcage

Most people have 24 ribs (12 pairs) in their body – in some rare cases an individual may have more or fewer (the same way some individuals may have more than 32 teeth or less than 28). The ribs start right under the clavicle (collarbone) and end around or right above your waist.

The typical corset does not come up to the shoulders so wearing a corset will never affect all your ribs. The ribs that are most affected are the last 2 pairs. These are the floating ribs which don’t extend up to the breastbone/sternum. On these ribs, you will find cartilage where the rib joins to the spine so when you breathe in and out, those ribs easily expand and contract too. Thus, when you compress these ribs in a corset, you are actually compressing them at the area of the joint instead of putting pressure on the curvature of the bone itself. For this reason, one can compress the floating ribs 1-2 inches easily without fear of them breaking or cracking (assuming that the individual is in good health and doesn’t suffer from brittle bone disorders). The floating ribs are thought to be unessential; they don’t bear any weight and are too small to protect much of your soft tissue – they’re often removed if a little extra bone is needed in reconstructive surgery for a small area like in the face.

 Bones are Living Tissues

Many people have the misconception that a bone is a solid, static, rock-like structure that should never move. However, this is not true at all. While bones seem solid, they are actually in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Inside every bone are strong scaffolds of fibers and the cells that control the density and strength of the bone:
Osteoblasts – the cells that build bone
Osteoclasts – the cells that break down bone

These two types of cells are always in balance in a healthy individual.  That’s why a broken bone will heal, and they will also move over time when you put gentle, consistent stress on them; thus it’s possible to reshape the ribcage over time by corset training. It’s theorized that the movement and curving of bone is a dynamic process of breaking down one side of the bone and building up the other.

As you put pressure on the front of a rib with a corset, this may signal osteoclasts to break down and dissolve bone on the outside of the rib and then signals osteoblasts to build bone on the inside of the rib so the rib more or less stays the same in size, density etc but simply moves inward.

Skeletal softness during youth

When a human is born, its skeleton is mostly cartilage and has very little bone. The younger an individual is, the less hard bone they have and the more cartilage they have. Cartilage is more flexible, bends more easily and mends more easily if one happens to fracture it.  As the individual grows older, the cartilage slowly is replaced by bone and becomes harder, more dense, more brittle and takes more time to heal fractures.

Thus, in many civilizations where body modification is popular, many of them start the practice during childhood while the bones are still soft. This is why in Traditional China it was customary for foot binding to start between the ages of 3-6. In some parts of Africa, the practice of skull binding is still performed and the process begins in infancy. In Western Europe, ladies often started corseting at the age of 12 (or younger, if they were considered “clumsy” or poor-postured).

For readers currently in their teens: Even though it’s easier to change your body’s shape when you’re younger, I do not suggest that young people train their waist or tightlace – since you’re still growing and developing your skeletal system, you can seriously warp your body and cause harm by putting too much pressure on your spine and ribcage.

Ann Grogan of Romantasy.com does not accept any waist training students under the age of 21 since that’s the generally accepted age that young adults have stopped growing in height. I myself thought that I was finished growing by age 14, but then gained an inch between the age of 18-20. I realize that there are young ladies in their teens who are interested in corset training and for those that do decide to start before the age of 18, I’m obligated to recommend that you have your guardians’ permission before engaging in any form of body modification, and I strongly suggest going very slowly, at a rate of no more than 0.5 to 1 inch in reduction each month.

Next time we will discuss why some people are fine with corsets and others find it uncomfortable – we’ll delve into nerves and pain.

Lucy’s Little Life Lesson: Keep your bones strong! Get in some regular resistance training, and consume enough calcium (but not from milk).

*Please note that this article is strictly my opinion and provided for information purposes. It is not intended to replace the advice of a medical doctor. Please talk to your doctor if you’d like to start wearing a corset.*

This blog entry is a summary of the YouTube video “Corsets and your Organs” which you can watch here.

Nearly every day I receive a comment on one of my videos along the lines of this:

“DON’T YOU KNOW THAT CORSETS MOVE YOUR ORGANS?!!? WOMEN IN THE PAST HAVE DIED FROM HAVING THEIR INNARDS CRUSHED BY CORSETS!!!!”

Any of you who think this is true, I challenge you to bend over and touch your toes. Or laugh, or cough, or go poo. Do it, right now.

You just made your organs move around. Perhaps not to the extent that a corset moves them, but they moved nonetheless. The organs in your abdominal cavity are attached to eachother with a membrane called the peritoneum, which keep them from floating all over the place – however, your organs are not entirely cemented in place; they are still somewhat flexible. Additionally, no two bodies are exactly the same – there is natural slight variation in the size and the position of organs in each person. The diagrams you see in anatomy textbooks are simply average representations. For some interesting cases of unusual organ placement, look up situs inversus (mirrored internal organs) and dextrocardia (a condition where the heart is on the right side of the chest).

Now let’s look at some examples where organs are temporarily and dramatically moved around:

Pregnancy

Think of a pregnant woman and how her organs are pressed and squeezed. The bladder gets squished down, the kidneys get squished back, the stomach and liver get pushed up. However, this occurs gradually over several months so the body has time to adapt to the change. Corseting is similar – you don’t put on a corset for the first time and reduce 10 inches, you start with 1-2 inch reduction and work your way up to your goal over many months or years.

 Yoga

In the practice of hatha yoga, Nauli is a move where the organs are moved up into the ribcage and “massaged” using one’s own abdominal muscles. Although this move may take some time to perfect, it is an impressive example of how the organs can move far out of place in only seconds or minutes. This is also completely safe. (Note: I can’t perform Nauli in its entirety, but prior to starting corset training I did learn how to perform “vacuum stomach” which is the first step to Nauli. It involves using the negative pressure in your lungs to push your intestines up into your ribcage.).

So, which organs move when you corset?

Basically, the organs that can be moved are those in the peritoneal cavity: stomach, much of the intestine, the liver and the spleen.

One great advantage is that the stomach and large intestine are mostly hollow organs which flatten easily with little to no damage. The trick to this is keeping your meals small and frequent while you’re corseting.

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body and is essential for life as it aids in digestion (production of bile), metabolism (storage of glycogen and fat) and detoxification of the body. Fortunately, it is also one of the only organs in your body that can regenerate – it can heal itself and grow larger and additional lobes. When autopsies are performed on tall, slim people with naturally small waists, some of these people are found to have vertically-stacked liver lobes instead of the “textbook” horizontally stacked liver.

The spleen is part of the lymphatic system – it sweeps out the waste in your body and holds antibodies which fight foreign objects to keep you healthy. Like tonsils, you can live if you have your spleen removed (but because your lymph nodes hold “memories” of your immune system, you may get colds or other infections more often).

Note: there is now MRI evidence of how the organs are affected, see this article for more details!

The organs less affected/not affected by corseting

The organs less affected are those in the retroperitoneal cavity (kidneys, adrenals, most of the pancreas, some parts of the colon). This is because these organs are outside of the basic abdominal cavity and they are more cemented in place than the above mentioned organs. Additionally, a well-constructed corset tends to push in on the front and sides of the waist primarily, whereas the back of the torso must preserve its shape due to the spine. Since the kidneys, adrenals, part of the pancreas and colon are all located in the back of the torso, then they will receive less direct pressure from the corset.

The pericardial organs (heart and major blood vessels) are likely not moved at all by corseting. There were some stories of hearts being “pushed up into girls’ necks” and other horror stories but many of these are likely rumours. Here is an X-ray of Cathie Jung’s torso while she’s wearing her corset at a closed measurement of 15 inches.

She currently holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest corseted waist; almost halving her original natural waist over several decades. If she can reduce her waist over a foot and not have her heart squish up into her collarbone, then chances are you can wear a corset at a modest reduction of 4 inches without much injury to your heart.

Next time we’ll discuss how corseting affects your breathing.

Lucy’s Little Life Lesson: Slow and steady wins the race, and also prevents corset-related injuries.

*Please note that this article is strictly my opinion and provided for information purposes. It is not intended to replace the advice of a medical doctor. Please talk to your doctor if you’d like to start wearing a corset.*