I recently strained one of my major back muscles pretty badly, and it has been hurting the last couple days. Should I bind even with the injury? I'd like it to heal, but I don't want to have to handle the dysphoria my masculine days cause. What should I do?
Although it might be emotionally difficult to handle, it is important that you allow your muscle tissue to relax and recover. If further damage is done or the recovery is prolonged, it can easily lead to long term damage, which could leave you unable to bind and complete a number of other activities for a far longer period of time than it will take to heal this strain. Try to keep yourself distracted and give your body some time to heal.
I agree with Gen. I know how hard it can be to not be able to bind, but it is worth it to keep your physical health up. Even though we may not like the bodies that we are born into, we still have to care for them. I'm not sure what your plans are in the future when it comes to transition, but if you mess up things too much then they will not be able to do top surgery.
Binding is what transgender female assigned at birth people use to flatten their chest so that it appears to be more masculine. We have to be careful with it though, because if it is done incorrectly it can damage the back and ribs. Also, if it is too tight, it can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs.
Thanks BradTheCat! From what I understand its probably some clothwear that flats the chest right?Giving the appearance of a male chest behind clothes right? What is concerning me is how tight these are... Take my advice as a grain of salt because I am really ignorant of how this stuff works but in my opinion anything that causes the body to change shape physically is to be avoid. Flatting the chest by applying pressure can cause one of the ribs to fracture and puncture a lung. Depending on how tight these things are, you could be running on less Oxygen. A punctured rib into the lung could cause it to collapse and with you already running low on O2 it could be detrimental to your life.The ribs are really not that hard the break. What concerns me also is your circulation of blood. Along with the compression, which could be aligning your ribs and spine incorrectly, the pressure from wear is probably blocking off some blood vessels or making them thin. If you have clots in these areas you could be risking having a serious heart attack. I am assuming like every 14 year old, you don't take care of your body as well as you should, but from now on please watch your health ( especially your cholesterol, please keep your LDL as low as possible ). In my opinion, you should use these after you complete puberty. Your body is still changing and this isn't really worth the long term risks of realignment. If you are experiencing bruising and pain already in the back or chest area than I must highly suggest against its continuation, at least until it is properly healed. If anyone wants to correct me feel free. I really am ignorant of this stuff and the dangers I posted above comes to my mind when you are compressing the chest. Are these things tight? Are they anything girdles women use to wear?
I think it would be best for you to wear a loose jacket or sweatshirt and not bind. If your jacket is loose enough, it will not be noticeable. I am no medical expert.
