Spinal vascular diseases are problems with the blood vessels that feed or drain the spinal cord. When a vessel clogs, bursts, or tangles, the cord gets starved or soaked, and the body sends out alarms that can start in minutes or sneak in over months.

The first alarm is usually pain that feels like a knife in the back. It hits in one spot—most often mid-back or lower neck—and shoots down the ribs, belly, or legs. Unlike ordinary back strain, this pain is worst at rest and may wake you from deep sleep.

Next come weak or “lazy” legs. A runner may notice her stride is shorter on one side, or a shopper finds he can’t stand still without shifting weight. The drop in strength can show up overnight with a clot, or creep in over weeks with slow bleeding.

Odd sensations travel like water. Patients talk about a “wet T-shirt” stuck to the skin, burning coals between the toes, or ice water poured down one thigh. These feelings jump around and do not follow the neat lines doctors draw on charts.

Bladder and bowel slips follow soon after. You may sprint to the toilet yet leak on the way, or feel zero need for days and then suddenly lose control. These changes feel private, so many blame diet or stress until walking also falters.

Later, a steady “electric hum” may buzz in the pelvis or feet when you lie flat. This hum is the sound of crowded blood trying to find new routes. Sitting up can quiet it, so some people start sleeping in recliners.

In slow leaks, skin color can shift. One calf may look blotchy or swell mildly by night and shrink by morning. Elevating the leg doesn’t help, because the issue is upstream in the spine, not in the vein itself.