Question
Hi,

My name is Rick and i am 23 yrs old. i have been having pain in my right leg and all along its length. It is muscular pain and its gets worse only when i run/play a lot or i get cold. It really becomes painful and hard to sleep with at times. Someone told me that it could be because of a dislocated spinal disk.

Also, i was suffering some erectile dysfunction and i stopped masturbating for some time. I have noticed improvement in my erection since then. I no longer had any back pains and seemed to get better.

I feel that all these problems are related to my spinal cord somehow and that some of the nerves may be damaged. I feel a lot better from before but i want to fix it completely. Can you please tell me what the problem is and how can i fix it. Can it even be fixed at all?

Answer
hi rick-
well, i'll do my best for you, but your question is fairly complicated.  first i will tell you the facts as i can find them- anything i can back up with studies etc. here we go:

-leg pain.  if you are having MUSCULAR pain, it is not likely from your spinal cord.  the person who mentioned the disk problem was referring to "sciatica"- there is a big nerve coming down from the lower back that wraps around at your thigh called the sciatic nerve.  nerve pain, though, feels more like tingling or shooting or icy/hot sensations, or it will cause numbness.  If this IS what you're feeling, I recommend getting an MRI- they are painless and will be able to tell you exactly what and where the problem is.  There are different ways to treat the problem if you do have a herniated or protruding disk- injection of a steroid to reduce inflammation is a common one- but a doctor would have to determine which is best.  

-erectile dysfunction.  i can't find anything direct about spinal disk problems and ED.  disc problems usually affect the body part they go out to, as opposed to the part being able to affect the disc-- does that make sense?  my best suggestion here is to first see what that MRI says-  if your problem here isn't explained by it, a urologist would be the person to ask.

anecdotal knowledge- this is a story of a friend of mine, therefore it can't be used as anything other than a story (it is NOT a diagnosis).  he was having pains in his groin that he felt were coming from on-going back problems that he'd had for years, related to disk problems in his lower back.  he had trouble with erection/ejaculation as well.  after a drawn-out ordeal, he finally got an MRI which showed a mild case of prostatitis and a bulging disc in the lumbar setion of his spine- this disc affects the groin area.  so, from his  experience, i'd say disc problems can affect erectile function.  
to find out how to proceed, though, my answer is to get to a doctor- your regular doc can recommend someone if need be- and see what's going on in your back.  nerve pain can fluctuate, so it could be coincidental that the erectile trouble and back pain got better together (i mean, it might not have been due to stopping masturbation).
good luck- chances are you can be helped by a little modern medicine.  i'm sorry i can't help you more, but i don't want to just guess when it's something that affects your health.  if any of my answer has been unclear or if you have more questions, feel free to contact me again, cool?
leslie