Waist training health risks.

[BillieBoy]

I've heard that waist training with a corset can potentially damage internal organs. Can someone knowledgeable please elaborate on this for me? I just bought a corset and love the shape it gives me, but i want to be sure I know the risks of long term use. Thanks!

[Samantha_Smile]

The damage, as far as I have read up is usually caused by noobs trying to go too far too quickly.
Take your time and go in stages.
After a few weeks of extended wear periods, your organs become more acustomed to being moved around and cope much better.
If you try and take off 5" on your first 8 hour wear, then you may give yourself problems.

[sterling12]

I'm not an expert, but a good tip to always remember is to never try and reduce your waist more than four inches from it's current size. So, if your a thirty-two waist, you would not want to try and corset down to any more than 28. When you lose weight and train your figure, you'll see a natural waist reduction, so that you can go a further four inches FROM that new waist size. Almost all of The Reputable Corset Sellers recommend a max four inch reduction.

There are "stories" that you can find from Victorian Times about women fainting, and rearranging their organs. I can't validate any of those stories, and I've never seen proof. But remember, Victorian Women were often trying to reduce their waists to unbelievable proportions. (some young women down to 18 inches, and sometimes less than fifteen) In effect, they were almost cutting themselves in two, and I imagine that was not The Norm for older women.

If you start having pain that's unrelieved when you remove your Corset, it's time to back off! Don't try and take the full four inches right off the bat, just do a little more each day. You should be fine.

Peace and Love, Joanie

[Suzette Muguet de Mai]

Take your time, the corset adjusts and moves the innards around. It also compresses ribcage, and be careful of back. Do a little at a time and do it over months and not days. Watch eating and drinking whilst doing it especially if u bloat. Corsets are great things to have but can also become ur own worst enemy. If you are going to wear it for a long time be careful of developing pressure sores. There are a few people here who have more experience in the health effects of corset waist training so also use search above in banner and search for corset. Like most things, take it easy and slow to allow body to adjust and get used to it but also research to help avoid/minimize later health issues.

[Vickie_CDTV]

For most, wearing a corset (sensibly laced) is safe. You can find information on the medical implications of corsetry at staylace.com

[DebbieL]

My grandmother wore a lace-up corset from the 1890s to the 1980s. She suffered now ill effects, and in fact actually had many benefits. When she moved into a nursing home, the nursing staff wouldn't let her wear her corset and within a few weeks the lack of support left her unable to stand, and she spent the rest of her life in a wheel-chair or a bed. She stopped wearing the corset at 93 and died at 102.

Corsets work three ways.
First, they restrict circulation in the belly area, as well as causing heat build up - this helps your body consume belly fat.
Second - they promote proper posture, building muscle tone in the waist and back.
Third - and most contriversial - they rearrange the intestines, reducing the amount of intestine in the waist area by moving it higher (into the rib cage),
lower and back, (into the pelvis against the liver and kidneys)

Trying to be too aggressive with a corset can cause that organ redistribution in ways that can be dangerous, or even fatal. Intestines can become obstructed, adhesions can form, and there is a risk of hernias as well as a risk of damage to the liver, kidneys, and spleen. There is also the risk of ruptures of the internal organs.

Good corset training should be slow and gradual, and should be done on a 24/7 basis. At night, a tight girdle or waist cincher with some elastic can keep things from flopping out. It's also very important to be aware of your bowel activity. If you start getting too constipated, that could be a warning sign. Make sure you are eating a high fiber diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Avoid saturated fats and too much red meat, both of which can cause constipation.

Corset training is a good way to help train yourself to sit properly, with proper posture. If you really want to train yourself effectively, put a pencil at the curve of the small of your back. If you slouch the pencil will stab you and you will react by sitting straight again.

Even better is to train your "internal girdle". When driving, pull you waist in as much as you can for 30-60 seconds at a time, with less and less time between each "suck".
To firm up your lower abs, lift your legs while driving, using only your toe and keeping your heel of the floor. You can also lift your legs while working in the office. Again, try to raise them for 30-60 seconds with less and less time between each lift.

The extreme version is called the "V-Sit" - which you can do by sitting on the ground and lifting you slightly bent legs so that your heels are about 5 inches in the air, and your back is at a 45 degree angle. The result is some intense waist toning that will create lean muscle that will help you consume the belly fat.

A simpler version of the V-sit is to use a reclining chair and get your whole back off the back of the chair and your legs off the front of the chair and off the foot-rest. When doing this, remember to pull your tummy in as far as possible, as if you were trying to show off your ribs.

If you can make that a habit and do it several times an hour, you can have many of the benefits of the corset trained waist.

The important thing, even if you go with corset training, is not to let the corset do all the work. It's there to help you remember to use your own muscles.

[docrobbysherry]

One other risk I discovered myself. Hemoroids! Corsets could cause them or irritate ones u already have!

[Vickie_CDTV]

90 years of wearing a corset, amazing... she must have truly loved and enjoyed wearing a corset to have stuck with it long after there was pressure from society to wear one, to even wear a corset long after women were required to wear girdles. 90 years of love and devotion to wearing a corset, that is just, well, as they used to say when I was a kid... totally awesome!

[Laura912]

Would like to answer this as accurately as possible. Corsets increase central venous pressure which can raise blood pressure some, generally not to a dangerous range unless you are already hypertensive. Sherry,the increased venous pressure is the reason those hemorrhoids enlarge. Posture is maintained by muscle tone and skeletal structure. Yes, the corset places you in a good posture, but it enables the muscles to loose tone. Your grandmother lost her posture so rapidly because lack of the artificial support of the corset and her lack of muscle tone. Plus us old people have a fair amount of osteoporosis, both male and female but greater in the female. The only organs very moveable by a corset, are the intestines. Everything else is anchored behind the peritoneum except ovaries which are not an issue. ;) With extreme compression, the liver may move upward a little. You will also get some shortens of breath. It probably will decrease your appetite cause the stomach will be compressed by the colon and other bowel. Heat on the abdomen will not burn fat. You will loose more weight by the decreased appetite. Don't every one go get a corset to lose weight!!
Laura

[StarrOfDelite]

Your grandmother lost her posture so rapidly because lack of the artificial support of the corset and her lack of muscle tone.

You will also get some shortens of breath.

Heat on the abdomen will not burn fat. You will loose more weight by the decreased appetite. Don't every one go get a corset to lose weight!!
Laura

Agree 100%.

Muscle tone in the spinus erector muscles is the only way to have good natural posture. Artificial supports such as corsets actually contribute to loss of muscle tone. If you've ever had a broken bone put into a cast, remember how weak your muscles felt once the cast was removed? Same principle.

To avoid osteoporosis weight training is essential. Studies have shown that people as old as in their 90's can regain bone density by use of weights. People can also avoid loss of height, which is caused by degeneration of the spinal vertebrae, by weight training.

Shortness of breath occurs because corsets put pressure on the diaphragm and prevents it from moving naturally. That's the reason why there are stories of Victorian women fainting because of corsets. They were literally asphyxiating themselves!

I do recall a lot of TV "infomercials" about body wraps which falsely claimed that they could be fat reduction aids. Fat is to some degree, compressible, corsets and elastic body wraps will compress fat cells, and for a short period of time after removal will give an artificial appearance of svelteness.

[BillieBoy]

Thanks everyone for the responses. This helps a lot! I'll go slow with my waist training and make sure to keep my core in shape!!

Billie

[BillieJoEllen]

Years ago around NewYears Eve I had a chance to dress for awhile (About 12 hours). I wore my tightest high waisted girdle and a tight fitting long line bra. I was held in very securely. On NY's Eve we went out drinking. I wasn't feeling very well before we left. I drank a large amount. The next day I was sick but not hung over. The next day I was as yellow as a school bus. Went to the doc. He confirmed a diagnosis of chirrosis of the liver. I didn't say anything about my CDing episode and he laid the blame on drinking too much. I knew better. After a few days the symptons went away. Now, all I,m saying is be careful. That could happen to you.

[Laura912]

BillieJo, before you panic, chirrosis of the liver is a chronic disease resulting from depositions of scar tissue in the liver usually associated with chronic alcoholism. It does not go away. You probably had some obstruction of the billiary (gall bladder) system from all the squeezing, especially if it cleared up. You were a wee bit tight in more ways than one. :)
Laura

[Stephanie47]

I've seen pictures of overly compressed waists, and, I personally think it's too much. I'd trying to lose weight in general and realize weight loss will also occur at the hips. The padding is going to be lost everywhere. I'm trying to firm up all muscles. I would recommend a light compression of the waist, increasing the bust size, and adding hips. The vast majority of attractive women are not trying to constrict their waists, but, rather trying to portray a healthy look. Personal opinion.

[docrobbysherry]

After a very long dressing session last weekend, I became VERY DIZZY while straining hard to remove all my gear and my female suit in the shower. I was not wearing a corset, but I DID have on several very tite girdles and a lycra/spandex waist cincher.:sad:

I had to lay down on the shower floor. Every time I felt ok, I tried to stand up. Every time I became dizzy and had to lie back down. It took about 30 minutes before I could finally stand up with a clear head!:eek:

I'm sure if I hadn't been struggling so hard, nothing would have happened. I think I may have de-oxiginated my blood after all that time wearing restrictions. So, if u plan to go out dancing all nite in your corset, that mite NOT be a GOOD IDEA!:thumbsdn:

[busker]

I've seen pictures of overly compressed waists, Anna Held, the wife of Florenz Ziegfeld was one such woman known for her "wasp" waist. There are stories of women dying from the effects of too tight corsets.
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/halycon/wspwst.html
and this one will certainly give pause
http://helablog.com/2012/02/the-girl-with-the-wasp-waist/
this girl has a 20.5 in waist, just 5 inches bigger than a CD!!!!!

[DebbieL]

There was an NCIS episode where a civil war re-enactor died because he wore the corset too tight.
1001 ways to die had a feature where the person had been corset trained, but ate too much and tried to "lace it away".

In both cases, the corset was laced too tight, causing the diaphram to press into the lungs and even press against the heart, then because circulation and lung capacity were limited, the heart began to race, eventually blowing out because it couldn't get enough oxygenated blood to the brain.

[Persephone]

I am a huge fan of tightly-laced corsets and waist training. Back in the 1970's/80's I was the co-chair, along with Marcia Staylace, of the Annual Lacing Table, a discussion of corsetry and Victorian dress that we held every year for over a decade in San Francisco.

I was also, along with Marcia, the co-publisher of the first modern reprint of W. B. Lord's 1868 book "The Corset and The Crinoline." We tracked down a rare original edition and painstakingly photocopied it, subsequently producing complete reprints that were eagerly snapped up by collectors and fans of tight lacing. And, of course, to remain true to the original publication we only worked on it when we were tightly laced! (Years later it has been made available in a Dover Press edition (http://www.amazon.com/Corset-Crinoline-Illustrated-History-Costumes/dp/0486461866)).

I believe that lacing down about 4" to 5" (10 to 12.5 cm) should not prove harmful to a normally healthy person and that many people can safely lace a good deal tighter than that. It would appear that many Victorian and Edwardian women did precisely that.

However, I used to tight lace, sometimes to an extreme, on a "hobbyist" basis, that is, I would go through periods where I would not lace regularly and then would suddenly lace down as tightly as possible, sometimes as much as 8" (20 cm) or more, and I believe that such sudden extreme tight lacing may have been a cause, if not the cause, of my lifelong hiatal hernia. A hiatal hernia occurs when a portion of your stomach is pushed up through your diaphragm. Not good.

So while waist training and lacing down 4" to 5" should be safe for the ordinary individual I would encourage you not to go from 0 to 60, lacing down suddenly to an extreme as it may have significant consequences.

Have fun and enjoy the experience!

Hugs,
Persephone.