In my opinion, you don't strengthen the anal sphincter muscles, you only weaken them. For anal play to work, you relax the muscles to incert the toy, therby weaking them. So as you continue the practice with larger and larger anal toys, be prepared to loose anal sphincter muscle tone!

As you get older, I can send you a box of Depends! You will need it!! less

Let's look at the upper arm. There are two major sets of muscles there, the biceps and the triceps. To move the arm you relax one and contract the other, although both can be relaxed if the arm does not need to have a position maintained. Think about how long it really takes to "weaken" those muscles.

Another, possibly more valid example: woodwind/brass players use muscles in the mouth to form their embouchure. If they don't play for weeks/months then it will get weaker and they'll have to work a bit harder to re-form the muscles, but it can be done fairly rapidly (supposedly), and the weaker muscles don't inhibit ordinary activities.

Could long periods of relaxing the anal sphincter weaken it? Yes. An hour every week or so, and even then you're probably clenching a bit to keep the plug in? I'd like to see the studies on that.

With really large toys inserted anally there might be the possiblity of putting pressure on a nerve or throttling a blood vessel, which I would think are more likely than a relaxed anus that will never regain muscle tone. less

Let's look at the upper arm. There are two major sets of muscles there, the biceps and the triceps. To move the arm you relax one and contract the other, although both can be relaxed if the arm does not need to have a position maintained. Think about how long it really takes to "weaken" those muscles.

Another, possibly more valid example: woodwind/brass players use muscles in the mouth to form their embouchure. If they don't play for weeks/months then it will get weaker and they'll have to work a bit harder to re-form the muscles, but it can be done fairly rapidly (supposedly), and the weaker muscles don't inhibit ordinary activities.

Could long periods of relaxing the anal sphincter weaken it? Yes. An hour every week or so, and even then you're probably clenching a bit to keep the plug in? I'd like to see the studies on that.

With really large toys inserted anally there might be the possiblity of putting pressure on a nerve or throttling a blood vessel, which I would think are more likely than a relaxed anus that will never regain muscle tone. less

Don't get me wrong, I agree that this is a valid discussion. I have done some searching and found the claims to be true. But according to what I have found there is no concrete evidence, just theories. I found this link

Behar says, "Unfortunately, I do not have the answer to this question. There are no good research studies that evaluate the short- or long-term effects of using butt plugs.Therefore, I am compelled to extrapolate what we do know, and deduce what we would expect to be true.

"The usual physiologic condition of the internal and external [anal] sphincter [muscles] is to remain tightly closed, except for momentary defecation, anal stimulation during sex or medical examinations, when a cascade of nerve stimulation allows momentary relaxation.

"So what if a person uses a butt plug? Momentary and short-term use probably is not much different than bowel movements, anal sex, or medical procedures. Long-term use, however, probably is.

"Imagine how your body habituates to the sensation of a mosquito walking on your arm. Initially, the tickle sensation is quite annoying.This probably is also related to your realizing that there is a bloodsucking insect on your body! In other words, there may be a cognitive component that overcomes the reflex scratch or swatting that comes almost automatically. After considerable time, this bug-crawling sensation loses the severity of its annoyance and is easier to tolerate. It may not even be noticed! You are habituating to the bug’s walking on your skin.Imagine also what happens to anyone who does not operate a set of muscles regularly, say, from an injury to an arm or leg. After the acute injury heals, the previously injured muscle will be very weak, and may require some time to get back to normal function.

"Let’s now return to long-term use of the butt plug.The anus is left in a constantly open position, instead of being tightly closed. Does this contribute to a habituation of the nerve-muscle reflex associated with voluntary sphincter control?Will this contribute to irreversible damage or bowel incontinence?Possibly, but we don’t know. But if we know anything about how the body responds to chronic stimulation, then I think I would read between the lines. Anything for short periods of time will probably be fine. But long-term use is probably not a great idea, and may contribute to chronic and irreversible changes in how the nerves and muscles ‘down there’ work effectively." less

I am so glad you posted this poll, Lori! This is the first time I've seen anything posted on this forum that addresses this issue. I've been considering butt plugs for a while now, but have held off because I have had a couple of doubts about it. One of my concerns was exactly this, that I might stretch my anus out. The other is that I have a hemorrhoid and I don't want to make it any worse. I'm learning so much from this thread. This is one of the reasons that I love EF so much! Keep up the good work! By the way, I love reading your reviews so much that I have an alert set for them. I'm going to set an alert for this thread also. Please send me a PM if you find out anything about butt plugs and hemorrhoids while doing your research. less

November, and anyone else with a anus, you should buy this book; Anal Pleasure and Health It is a must have for everyone, even if anal play is not your thing. There is tons of information about anus, rectum, intestine and colon health. There is a section just on hemorrhoids and treatments for them. Some can be done at home first before having to see a DR. (you probably should anyways). Jack (the author) includes story's from his "Anal Awareness Workshops" and intensive doctoral research, this is over 30 years of research. There are lots of first hand accounts from participants of the workshops as well. This book truly needs to be in every persons house. less

If anyone can find me a link that gives information on how anal sex strengthens the anal muscles, I would love to read it. I have searched and searched with no luck. The only thing I’m finding is how kegel exercises help strengthen a weakened anal sphincter. less

I am working on a review of a Butt Plug. Like I do for so many of my reviews, I have researched extensively on the subject of Anal Play and also talked to my doctor about health concerns.

In my research I have found that Butt Plugs are harmful to wear for extended periods of time since there is the possibility of weakening the sphincter muscle.

So that leads me to thinking... How many people know about this health concern and how many choose to participate in the practice of wearing them for hours. less

I am working on a review of a Butt Plug. Like I do for so many of my reviews, I have researched extensively on the subject of Anal Play and also talked to my doctor about health concerns.

In my research I have found that Butt Plugs are harmful to wear for extended periods of time since there is the possibility of weakening the sphincter muscle.

So that leads me to thinking... How many people know about this health concern and how many choose to participate in the practice of wearing them for hours. less