Self Bondage and Falling

Common BDSM Risk Factors
Vanilla is often the hassle-free, mass appeal choice—whether in regards to ice cream or to sex. However, adding flavorings or bits and pieces of exotic je-ne-sais-quois to vamp up plain vanilla can be a volatile experiment, especially if too much of a good thing is added and the result is overpowering to the senses. If you decide to top off vanilla play with a little BDSM play, you should be well aware of the potential risks of adding too much and endangering either your partner or yourself. In a progressive six article series, we will dish out the top thirteen of the most common bondage-related problems and what to do about them. Drum roll please....

Risk Factor Number One: Playing bondage games while alone. This is like topping off premium vanilla bean gelato with a healthy dose of pickled habañeros—the odds of solo-bondage games going well are slim—very hot yes, but not so hot when the number one cause of bondage related fatalities is from playing bondage games while alone or when the top leaves a bound submissive.
Although deaths during sex are actually not all that rare, doing bondage while alone is by far the most common sexual activity through which a fatal outcome was directly caused by the sexual practice according to Jay Wiseman. Also, if a gag is being used during self-bondage, the risk level increases drastically.
For those of you who will continue to engage in self-bondage, make sure you have a back-up plan—it is better to suffer the embarrassment of a friend helping you out of bondage than to be found dead in bondage by the police or fire department. Let someone know your self-bondage plans in advance or have access to either 911 or a trusted friend if difficulties should arise during bondage play while alone.
A side note--self-bondage fans who are not killed by autoerotic asphyxiation are prone to death from positional asphyxiation where the position achieved through bondage fatigues respiratory muscles to the point of failure.

Risk Factor Number Two: Falling. Go ahead and laugh, but it is true—falling is one of the largest risks in bondage play and as bondage expert Jay Wiseman attests, "the number-one cause of bondage fans ending up in a hospital emergency room was for treatment of injuries—including many fractures—that were sustained in a fall" (74). Bondage involving the binding of the feet places a person at an increased risk of falling, especially if the person in bondage is wearing high-heeled shoes. Also, binding the arms during bondage, especially if the hands are bound behind the back, limits the person in bondage's ability to steady themselves in a fall or to catch themselves.
Another very common cause of bondage related injury occurs when an overhead eyebolt or similar item fails while the bottom is suspended in a standing position with their hands tied over their heads to the overhead bolt.
If moving a person in bondage, be responsible for their welfare and be ready to steady them if the person in bondage should lose their balance.

Next in the series, the risks of too tight bondage and intoxication during play...