Can I have sex if I have lumbar disc herniation?

Lumbar disc herniation is a very common disease. If the condition is not particularly serious, you can have sexual intercourse appropriately, but you must pay attention to your posture during the entire process. The movements should not be too large or too frequent, otherwise it will aggravate the condition. Experts say that patients with lumbar disc herniation should not sleep on soft beds, should not sit for long periods of time, should not bend over for long periods of time, should not bend over to pick up things or lift heavy objects, etc.

1. Can I have sex if I have lumbar disc herniation?

If the sexual posture is improper, or it is too frequent, or the movements are too large, it can not only cause low back pain, but also induce lumbar disc herniation, especially for people with a history of lumbar disc herniation, who are more likely to develop it. Sexual life can bring a feeling of relaxation and pleasure both mentally and physically. As long as the time is not too long and the posture is correct, it will not have any adverse effects on the lumbar spine. However, if the sexual posture is improper, or it is too frequent, or the movements are too large, it can not only cause low back pain, but also induce lumbar disc herniation, especially for people with a history of lumbar disc herniation, who are more likely to develop it.

2. Health care methods for lumbar disc

1. Don’t sleep on a soft bed

Avoid overly soft bedding and pay attention to your sleeping position. Our normal spine has an "S"-shaped physiological curvature. Bad sleeping posture, too high a pillow, or too soft a mattress are all detrimental to the physiological curvature of the spine. A bed that is too soft can form a shape that is low in the middle and high on the four sides under the pressure of the human body weight, which will affect the physiological curve of the lumbar spine and cause uneven force on the lumbar disc. It can easily lead to lumbar muscle tension, stiffness and poor blood circulation. Therefore, the height of the pillow and the softness and hardness of the mattress should be moderate when sleeping. In the past, people thought that wooden beds were more appropriate, but now they think that harder palm mats or Simmons mattresses can also meet the requirements. The bedding should be soft and comfortable to maintain the balance of the lumbar spine to the greatest extent.

2. Don’t sit for long periods of time

People who engage in sitting work for a long time, such as long-term desk workers, drivers, factory assembly line workers, etc., have a high incidence of low back pain. Sitting for a long time will cause the lumbar spine to be in a backward bending state, the waist muscles and ligaments are in a tense state, and the pressure on the lumbar intervertebral disc will increase 10 times. Long-term tension in the lumbar muscles and ligaments will lead to chronic strain, which will reduce the stability and protection of the waist. At the same time, the overload of the lumbar intervertebral disc after sitting for a long time will cause lumbar disc degeneration, which will easily cause the intervertebral disc fiber ring to rupture and the nucleus pulposus to protrude and compress the nerves under the action of external force. Therefore, it is very meaningful to insist on doing exercises during work breaks or changing body positions during work hours.

3. Don’t bend over for a long time

Some jobs require long-term bending and exertion, such as carpenters planing wood and farmers hoeing the fields. In these jobs, the pressure on the lumbar intervertebral disc is more than doubled compared to when standing normally! For example, when bending over to draw water from a well, the pressure on the waist can increase 5 times! Therefore, the incidence of low back pain and intervertebral disc herniation is high for people who bend over for long-term work.

4. Don’t bend over to pick up things or lift heavy objects

The lumbar intervertebral disc is located between the upper and lower vertebrae, and is wide in the front and narrow in the back. Suddenly bending down to pick up something is not conducive to the retraction of the lumbar intervertebral disc. Lifting heavy objects often requires exertion on one side of the body, which is not good for the lumbar disc, so you should squat down first when picking up things.

5. Don’t be greedy for coolness

Lumbar disc herniation compresses the nerves, causing nerve edema and inflammation, tension in the lower back muscles, decreased blood circulation in the entire waist, and increased sensitivity of the nerves to external stimuli. The stimulation of cool wind is not conducive to blood circulation in the waist, it stimulates the nerves and aggravates the symptoms of lumbar disc herniation and makes the pain worse, so you should pay attention to keeping your waist warm.