A slipped disc or pinched nerve could be the culprit behind your inability to get and keep an erection. If you suspect that this might be the case, consult your doctor. 

A Pinched Nerve, often caused by a herniated disc, can make it difficult, if not impossible, for you to get and keep an erection suitable for intercourse.

In some cases, the nerve affected is one that plays a direct role in erectile function, which obviously poses a challenge. However, even if the pinched nerve is not one that directly affects sexual function but instead causes pain elsewhere in the body, it can definitely dissuade you from engaging in sexual activity.

Pain Isn’t Always Present

Even more insidious can be a pinched nerve that causes no apparent discomfort but nevertheless impedes sexual function. In a study published in the October-December 2014 issue of the Journal of Craniovertebral Junction & Spine, Turkish researchers described symptoms in patients suffering from herniated discs between the bottom of the lumbar spine and the top of the sacral spine.

The four patients — two men and two women — presented at a medical clinic complaining of sexual and perianal sphincter dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of three of the patients confirmed the presence of extruded disc fragments at the L5-S1 junction of spinal column. No significant disc herniation was seen in the fourth patient.

Even after corrective surgery, no significant improvement was observed in sexual or sphincter function. This finding should serve as a warning about the importance of safeguarding lower back function and spinal integrity.

Findings from Spanish Study

An earlier Spanish Study revealed a high incidence of Peripheral Neuropathy in male patients suffering from erectile dysfunction. Peripheral neuropathy involves damage to the body’s nerves that control motor coordination, movement, and sensation.

Thorough neurological scans of 90 patients with ED revealed that 68.9 percent suffered from some form of neurological pathology. Further testing showed that 61.1 percent had peripheral neuropathy, while 7.7 percent suffered from myelopathy, a compression-type injury to the spinal cord.

In the conclusion to its study, published in the December 2011 issue of BJU International, the Spanish research team expressed the hope that its findings would promote greater awareness of this association within the medical community.

Study’s Flaws Pointed Out

Interviewed about the Spanish study by WebMD.com, urologist Tobias S. Kohler, M.D., a spokesman for the American Urological Association, suggested that its findings be read with caution. Of the patients assessed in the study, Kohler said that “these guys had more than just peripheral neuropathy. They had a lot of other risk factors.”

Watering down the findings of the Spanish study to some extent, said Kohler, is the researchers’ failure to rule out other possible risk factors. “To say the nerve damage caused the ED is too strong,” he added.

Notwithstanding Kohler’s cautionary note, it’s safe to say that the importance of nervous system health and integrity should never be overlooked, because it governs virtually every aspect of the body’s function.

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