Reduce the pressure a rope strap is exerting on the body, if needed
It is important to manage the amount of pressure rope places on the body.
This modification can be helpful when tying someone with:
- Softer flesh
- A larger body size
- Skin that is more sensitive to pressure
- …or just because of personal preference.
Managing force starts with how tight the ropes are when you tie them. The tighter the ropes, the greater the force on the skin and the higher the pressure.
These two straps have different levels of tension.
The strap on the right is *much* tighter and thus sinks more deeply into the flesh.
Ensuring you can get two fingers between the rope and the skin will, for most people, usually result in straps that are not too tight. But what if that isn’t enough to make the tie sustainable for your partner? “Too much pressure” is highly subjective and will be different for different people and parts of the body.
Additionally, even if the rope feels fine to them when you tie it, it is still possible for the pressure of that rope to change. If your partner changes position after being tied or if you anchor the rope to some other object (in a suspension or not in a suspension), rope that previously felt fine might become uncomfortably or even dangerously tight. This is why we advise that you put someone in the general position they will be in before you tie them, and continue to check in throughout the rope scene.
A Lark's Head Single Column around the waist. 3 wraps, 6 strands.
It is quite comfortable at the moment, as there is no tension on this strap.
But if we tie a hanger to it...
... and then connect that hanger to an overhead hard point, the tension on the ropes increases as does the pressure of the ropes on the body.
The pressure can drastically increase, depending on what you decide to do. Here Kajira Blue has done an inversion...
... and you can see how much more deeply the rope presses into her. If we had done this with a narrower band, it would press even more deeply and the risk would be higher.
When Tension and/or Force increases, Risk of Injury increases.
No matter the reason, if the tension of (or on) the ropes increases, the risk of injury also increases. As the tension, pressure, and force increase; the ropes will dig more deeply into a person’s skin and press more firmly onto what is beneath – nerves, blood vessels, muscles and bone – increasing the risk of damage.
When a person’s flesh is softer, rope at a given level of pressure will press more deeply into them. This means that muscles, nerves and veins can be moved further relative to each other. Meaning the risk of nerve damage by shearing forces or by stretching that nerve too far, is greater.
There is a single solution that can help in any of these cases: Make wider straps. Spread the force over a wider area. This reduces the force on the skin and its impact on things under the skin. Remember the formula from Physics: Pressure = Force/Area, P = F/A
Here are two common ways to do this:
Make wider straps by using thicker rope
Keeping all else the same, thicker rope will mean wider straps.
You might simply use thicker rope. Above is a 1/4” (6mm) compared to 5/16” (8mm).
The strap created by the 1/4” is about 1” wide. The one created by the 5/16” is about 1.25”.
Be aware that the knots are also much bulkier.
Pinching hazard
There is a larger gap between strands of rope if the rope strands themselves are larger. Some people find that it is easier to get their skin pinched between the strands when those strands are larger.
5/16” (8mm)
1/4" (6mm)
One thing you can do to help with this, is to run your fingers under each strap when it is complete. This help settle the tope evenly on top of the skin and can reduce the risk of pinching for some people.
Make wider straps with more strands
Adding more wraps also widens the strap. There are limits to this. If you add too many wraps, it can make the strap bunch up to much at the knot and make it difficult to keep all strands parallel and at the same tension at points where the rope puts pressure on the skin. It is usually possible to do 3 or 4 wraps for a total of 6 or 8 strands, more can take more work to get right.
Complete the Lark’s Head as normal.
Make your first wrap, but this time…
…keep going and make a second wrap.
NOW go through the secondary bight…
…and lock of with the Half Hitch and then run your fingers under the strap to better settle the lines on the skin.
Done!
For even wider straps, do both!
You can also combine both, use larger rope and more wraps.
Here you can see a 3-wrap (6-strand) strap made with 1/4" (6mm) and another with 5/16” (8mm). The 8mm will distribute the force across a much larger area.
Don't assume!
Don’t assume that a large person wants wider straps. “Oh that person is bigger, they will require more wraps” is not the way to think. They will require more rope just because of geometry, but they may prefer the standard 4-strand strap and not the 6-strand one. Every body is different. Every person is different. What works best for any person is unique to them.
Another helpful solution: Make more straps!
Another way to distribute force over a larger area is to add entirely new straps.
This applies more when combining multiple techniques or when doing more advanced ties.
Regardless of what you try, continue to tie well!
Regardless of what you do to address this issue, be sure to continue to tie well. Make sure all the strands of your strap have the same tension. A strap of rope is only as wide as the tightest strand. So to actually distribute the force over a larger area, all the strands need to be the same tension.
Good v Bad Straps