| Question: | | | | hardly any water but several cups of coffee daily and |
| For some months, at night, I have had the feeling of | | | | wine regularly; he also liked salt. I explained that these |
| something crawling under the skin of my right leg, from | | | | dietary habits could lead to dehydration and soreness |
| the knee to the top of my thigh. It gets so bad that the | | | | in the kidney (upper lumbar) area. The kidneys are |
| itchiness turns to pins and needles and invariably keeps | | | | actually embedded in the lumbar muscles, so |
| me awake. Could you tell me what the problem is and | | | | whenever there is a problem with them, the lumbar |
| what can be done about it, please? | | | | muscles get sore and very tight. This can irritate the |
| Answer: | | | | nerve roots in that area and cause this type of |
| There is a small chance that you could be suffering | | | | symptom. Sometimes it even results in lumbago or |
| from a neurological condition, so I do suggest that you | | | | lower backache, as lumbar muscles are attached to |
| tell your doctor about the pins and needles and, if | | | | the lower part of the spine - the sacrum. His |
| necessary, you will then be referred for the | | | | skepticism evaporated as he realised the logic of what |
| appropriate tests. However, considering your | | | | I was saying. |
| description, there is one condition that comes to my | | | | When I examined his back and touched the lumbar |
| mind straight away. To explain, I must give you the | | | | area, he felt the pain immediately. I massaged the |
| history of a gentleman who had similar problems. | | | | whole of the spine, focusing on the lumbar region. |
| This was a French business man who had been | | | | When he got up from the couch, the sensations in his |
| advised to have surgery on his back because he had | | | | thigh were gone. He touched the areas that had |
| a slight protrusion of a lower lumbar disc. His doctors in | | | | bothered him and they were no longer sensitive. He |
| France had pinpointed this as the cause of the | | | | came to my clinic weekly for about a month for |
| symptoms that disturbed his sleep and prevented him | | | | massage and yoga. Almost three years on, the |
| playing golf, his favourite pastime. The symptoms were | | | | symptoms have never returned. The message is that |
| exactly the same as yours - the feeling of insects | | | | one must always investigate such symptoms and, if |
| crawling under his skin plus pins and needles, located in | | | | possible, give nature a chance to heal the body before |
| his thigh, from the hip to the top of the knee. According | | | | rushing to drastic measures. I have detailed similar |
| to his doctors, these symptoms were signs of sciatica. | | | | cases involving unusual back and neurological problems |
| Since he had been in discomfort, for months and | | | | in my Ultimate Back Book. |
| physiotherapy produced no good result, surgery was | | | | Here are my recommendations |
| the only option. | | | | * Once a week for four weeks visit a qualified |
| The date for his operation was fixed when his boss (a | | | | practitioner for a professional massage, focusing on |
| patient of mine) asked him to come to see me for a | | | | the back You could also ask a friend or partner to |
| second opinion. Although he was reluctant to cancel | | | | massage your back following the instructions given on |
| the surgery and consider another diagnosis, I was able | | | | my lifestyle DVD (Integrated Health Group). |
| to convince him that the diagnosis was wrong and that | | | | * Take up therapeutic iyengar yoga, and particularly do |
| surgery would not solve his problem. Even if the bulge | | | | the following postures daily: cobra, semi bridge, child |
| on that particular lumbar disc (between L4 and L5) | | | | pose and spinal twist. |
| scratched the nerve root, the sensation or pain would | | | | * Avoid coffee, alcohol, excess salt, citrus fruits, |
| not be felt above the knee; it would go down the side | | | | canned products and processed foods. |
| of the calf to the ankle. Where he experienced the | | | | * Drink two litres of still water daily between meals. |
| sensation in the thigh comes from upper lumbar | | | | Supplements |
| vertebrae (Ll, L2 and L3). Operating on a lower lumbar | | | | * If the inflammation or sensation is severe, you could |
| disc simply would not affect the pain. | | | | take Haldi: one twice daily for a month. |
| I asked him how much water. coffee and alcohol he | | | | * To help you sleep, take Brento: one at bedtime for a |
| drank and how much salt he consumed. He drank | | | | month. |