Let’s get one thing straight: Injuries during sex are unusual. When they do happen, they tend to happen because of where you’re having sex—not how you’re doing it, says Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., a research scientist at Indiana University and author of Great in Bed.
Because your footing or other means of support are unfamiliar, sex in unusual places—say, on your office desk or in an airplane lavatory—are a lot more likely to lead to injuries than a complicated pose, Herbenick says, citing research from the University of Maryland.
That said, there are a few positions that are more likely than others to result in injury. From strained back muscles to the dreaded “broken penis,” here are four you may want to avoid—or at the very least treat with respect.
