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Samson Had No Disc Problems

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A tingling sensation in your leg could signal a herniated disc, but it also may indicate a nerve problem.

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By PHILIP MORGAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 29, 2008

Ancient columns always show signs of ruin, and so it is with my spinal column.

I've had periodic back pain for years, but in the past few months, my right thigh started doing weird things, like tingling and burning and going numb. "Oh, great," I thought. "My first stroke."

But the sensation comes and goes with varying degrees of intensity. On one occasion, it cut short a frenzied attempt at folk dancing. My leg was aflame even if my performance wasn't.

My doctor prescribed a spin in an MRI machine, which showed a bulging disc between the L4 and L5 vertebras in the lower back, the most common spot for such problems.

The orthopedic surgeon prescribed physical therapy, but going more than twice was cost-prohibitive. (My health insurer asks that I hold a gun on myself when making co-payments because it can't send a rep to rob me in person.) So, the therapist taught me a series of exercises and sent me on my way with sheets of instructions.

The idea here is that I develop a lower back as strong as Samson's. I'm not interested in tumbling the columns of the Philistines, merely supporting the column of Phil.

While it may cut out the pain in the immediate area, it may do nothing for the leg sensations. That's according to Tampa neurosurgeon Juan S. Uribe, a professor at USF Health. While leg tingling or numbness may result after a herniated disc, which is a more severe condition, Uribe says it's unlikely that the bulging disc is causing it. More tests would have to be done to pinpoint the problem, which may be the nerve itself.

Great.

Many people develop bulging discs as they get older, and a third of them don't feel pain, Uribe says.

The discs serve as the spine's shock absorbers, and over time, they lose hydration. The spine compresses the weakened, jelly-like center of the disc, which pushes against the fibrous ring on the outside of the disc and causes a bulge, which may press on the nerve canal and cause muscle inflammation and pain at the site.

A herniated disc happens when the disc wall tears and the gelatinous material in the center oozes out. The chemical in the goo, and perhaps bits of tissue, float around in the spinal canal, irritating the nerves and causing them to swell. That and severe compression could create the leg sensations, Uribe says.

Some 80 percent of disc problems, both bulging and herniated, heal in six months without surgery, he says. However, a severely herniated disc, in which the nerves are so compressed that the sufferer loses muscle strength and sensation - and perhaps bowel and bladder control - requires immediate surgery.

Doctors usually treat disc problems with medicine to fight pain and inflammation. They prescribe physical therapy and exercises to build back strength, which helps hold the spinal column in place.

So I exercise. I tighten my abs and push the small of my back against the floor; tighten my abs and lift each leg 12 inches off the floor; tighten my buttocks and abs and lift my middle off the floor; and do other strange contortions.

I've got considerable work to do to get a back like Samson's, but I was able to rock 'n' roll at a recent high school reunion with no pain in the back or even the leg.

I danced for minutes on end before retreating to the tired table.

Reporter Philip Morgan can be reached at (813) 259-7609 or pmorgan@tampatrib.com.

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