Meralgia paraesthetica can occur in pregnancy, in obesity and if there is tense ascites. It may be a result of trauma, surgery (such as pelvic osteotomy, spinal surgeries, laparoscopic hernia repair and bariatric surgery) or, in some cases, may arise from abduction splints used to treat Perthes' disease, also called Calvé-Legg-Perthes disease.
What causes Meralgia paresthetica in pregnancy?
Meralgia paresthetica is a common sensory mononeuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve which occurs in pregnancy as well as in many other conditions. The most likely etiology in pregnancy is entrapment of the nerve as it passes around the anterior superior iliac spine or through the inguinal ligament.
What is Meralgia paresthetica and how is it treated?
Meralgia paresthetica commonly occurs in pregnancy owing to weight gain. Because medications or surgery are not advisable during pregnancy, you may be able to relieve symptoms with exercise. Is This an Emergency?
How does Meralgia paresthetica affect the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve?
The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is purely a sensory nerve and doesn't affect your ability to use your leg muscles. In most people, this nerve passes through the groin to the upper thigh without trouble. But in meralgia paresthetica, the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve becomes trapped — often under the inguinal ligament,...
Can meralgia parasthetica be caused by trauma to the groin?
However, the patient can still experience tingling, numbness and/or pain along the other portion of the thigh. While direct trauma to the groin is one cause of meralgia parasthetica, there are other common causes that people may not be aware of. These include:
Is meralgia paresthetica common in pregnancy?
Tight clothing, obesity or weight gain, and pregnancy are common causes of meralgia paresthetica. However, meralgia paresthetica can also be due to local trauma or a disease, such as diabetes. In most cases, you can relieve meralgia paresthetica with conservative measures, such as wearing looser clothing.
Does meralgia paresthetica go away after pregnancy?
In many instances, meralgia parasthetica will resolve on it's own after a few months. However, there are treatments that can help reduce the pain and improve healing.
Why does my right thigh go numb while pregnant?
As your uterus grows, it may press on the nerves in your legs. This may cause some numbness and tingling (feeling of pins and needles) in your legs and toes. This is normal and will go away after you give birth (it may take a few weeks to months). You may also have numbness or tingling in your fingers and hands.
Why is my left thigh numb pregnant?
Numbness and tingling in your legs, back, and buttocks during pregnancy are usually due to: Fluid retention. Hormones such as relaxin that cause your ligaments to loosen. Pressure from your growing uterus and compressed organs.
How is meralgia paresthetica treated during pregnancy?
To help ease your symptoms, your doctor may suggest:wearing loose clothing.resting.losing weight.taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil), or pain medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol)deep tissue massage.
Is walking good for meralgia paresthetica?
Exercising for 30 minutes a day at least three or four times a week should help ease meralgia paresthetica pain. Some exercises to try include: brisk walking.
How do you calm meralgia paresthetica?
Meralgia Paresthetica TreatmentHeat, ice, or taking over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin, acetaminophen, naproxen, or ibuprofen for a few days.Weight loss.Wearing loose-fitting clothing, especially around your upper front hip.
What were your first signs of preeclampsia?
Signs of PreeclampsiaHigh blood pressure (hypertension). ... Lower back pain related to impaired liver function.Changes in vision, usually in the form of flashing lights or inability to tolerate bright light.Sudden weight gain of more than 4 pounds in a week.Protein in the urine (proteinuria). ... Shortness of breath.More items...•
Should I see a doctor for meralgia paresthetica?
You should see your doctor if you notice you have any of the symptoms of meralgia paresthetica, especially if these symptoms don't go away on their own after a few days.
Is meralgia paresthetica life threatening?
In some cases, meralgia paresthetica can be a serious condition that should be evaluated immediately in an emergency setting. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these serious symptoms including: Leg weakness. Numbness, tingling or weakness in other parts of the body.
Why is meralgia paresthetica worse at night?
At night our body temperature fluctuates and goes down a bit. Most people tend to sleep in a cooler room as well. The thought is that damaged nerves might interpret the temperature change as pain or tingling, which can heighten the sense of neuropathy.
What to do if baby is sitting on a nerve?
Get into which ever position is comfortable for you and just breathe. These positions help to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve by decompressing the spine. The key to decompressing the spine in these positions is flexing your spine (rounding your back).
Causes of Meralgia parasthetica
Normally, the nerve passes under the inguinal ligament in the groin without difficulty. However, with meralgia parasthetica the nerve becomes compressed and painful. Fortunately, the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is strictly a sensory nerve; so your ability to move your leg will not be impacted with meralgia parasthetica.
Diagnosing Meralgia parasthetica
Diagnosing MP often requires diagnostic imaging to rule out other conditions. Some of these tests may include an X-RAY, CT scan, MRI, Electromyography, or nerve conduction study.
How to Treat Meralgia parasthetica
In many instances, meralgia parasthetica will resolve on it’s own after a few months. However, there are treatments that can help reduce the pain and improve healing. These treatments include physical therapy, corticosteroid injections, and medications like gabapentin for nerve pain. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary but this is rare.
How to treat meralgia paresthetica?
The Mayo Clinic recommends additional self-care measures to help reduce meralgia paresthetica symptoms. Try to avoid walking or standing for long periods of time. Also avoid tight clothing, which can increase pressure on lateral nerves.
What is the condition that causes pain and numbness in the thigh?
Meralgia Paresthetica & Pregnancy Exercises. Meralgia paresthetica is a neurological condition characterized by pain or numbness along the outer thigh. Also known as Bernhardt-Roth syndrome, this disorder is caused by trauma or compression to the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, which travels from the thigh to the spinal cord.
What is the post isometric relaxation technique?
The post-isometric relaxation technique, or PIR, is another technique that involves stretching a targeted muscle or group of muscles to the point of reaching isometric contraction, meaning held at a constant length instead of being permitted to lengthen or shorten 1.
What is the cat position in pelvic area?
The exercise begins with the “cat” position of resting on all fours, or hands and knees. The “camel” portion calls for tucking the chin into your chest and arching your back.
What is manual manipulation?
Manual Manipulations. If physical therapy is part of your regimen, your therapist will likely perform a variety of soft tissue manipulations. For example, the Active Release Technique, or ART, relieves potential adhesions in soft tissue that hamper movement and entrap nerves.
How to strengthen lateral trunk muscles?
As you brace your muscles for impact, you push your shins into the floor or an exercise mat. With repetition, this exercise strengthens lateral trunk muscles and improves the stability of the spine and pelvis.
Can a doctor perform orthopedic tests while pregnant?
If you are pregnant, however, your doctor is more likely to conduct orthopedic tests instead. For instance, a Kemp test, which your doctor can perform while you're sitting or standing, checks for abnormalities in your spinal discs.
What are the risks of meralgia paresthetica?
The following might increase your risk of meralgia paresthetica: Extra weight. Being overweight or obese can increase the pressure on your lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Pregnancy. A growing belly puts added pressure on your groin, through which the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve passes. Diabetes.
What causes a pinched nerve in the thigh?
Causes. Meralgia paresthetica occurs when the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve — which supplies sensation to the surface of your outer thigh — becomes compressed, or pinched. The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is purely a sensory nerve and doesn't affect your ability to use your leg muscles. In most people, this nerve passes through ...
What causes numbness in the upper thigh?
Pressure on the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, which supplies sensation to your upper thigh, might cause these symptoms of meralgia paresthetica: Tingling and numbness in the outer (lateral) part of your thigh. Burning pain on the surface of the outer part of your thigh. These symptoms commonly occur on one side of your body ...
What is the pain in the upper leg called?
Meralgia paresthetica. Meralgia paresthetica. Meralgia paresthetica is a condition characterized by tingling, numbness and burning pain in the outer part of your thigh. The condition is caused by compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, which supplies sensation to your upper leg. Meralgia paresthetica is a condition characterized by ...
Why does my thigh hurt?
The cause of meralgia paresthetica is compression of the nerve that supplies sensation to the skin surface of your thigh. Tight clothing, obesity or weight gain, and pregnancy are common causes of meralgia paresthetica.
Why does my groin feel compressed?
Common causes of this compression include any condition that increases pressure on the groin, including: Nerve injury, which can be due to diabetes or seat belt injury after a motor vehicle accident, for example, also can cause meralgia paresthetica.
Where does the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve go?
But in meralgia paresthetica, the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve becomes trapped — often under the inguinal ligament, which runs along your groin from your abdomen to your upper thigh. Common causes of this compression include any condition ...
What is the most likely etiology of pregnancy?
The most likely etiology in pregnancy is entrapment of the nerve as it passes around the anterior superior iliac spine or through the inguina …. Meralgia paresthetica is a common sensory mononeuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve which occurs in pregnancy as well as in many other conditions. The most likely etiology in pregnancy is ...
Can meralgia paresthetica be treated with regional anesthesia?
A careful neurologic examination is usually all that is necessary for diagnosis. When the diagnosis of meralgia paresthetica is made prior to childbirth, this should not contraindicate the use of regional anesthesia, if necessary, for labor and delivery.
How does a nerve conduction study work?
This test evaluates how well your lateral femoral cutaneous nerve sends electrical impulses to the surrounding muscles. To measure electrical impulses, your doctor places electrodes along the LFCN. These electrodes measure how fast the LFCN transmits impulses.
What are the symptoms of meralgia paresthetica?
Many people with meralgia paresthetica experience symptoms including: Pain on the outer thigh, which may extend down to the outer side of the knee. Burning, aching, tingling, stabbing or numbness in the thigh. Symptoms on only one side of the body. Worse pain when your thigh is touched lightly.
What causes a LFCN to compress?
These can include injury to the hip area; medical conditions like obesity, pregnancy, and diabetes; and wearing clothing that is too tight or belts in the waist area.
What nerve is involved in numbness and burning sensations?
Meralgia paresthetica is a medical condition resulting from compression (pressure on or squeezing) of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). This large nerve supplies sensation to the front and side of your thigh. Meralgia paresthetica results in sensations of aching, burning, numbness, or stabbing in the thigh area.
What is the test for lead in the pelvic area?
A thorough physical examination will be performed including a hands-on test called a pelvic compression test, in which the doctor applies pressure on your thigh to rule out other causes of your symptoms.
What tests are done to check thyroid?
Other light touch and reflex tests may also be performed. Your doctor may order blood tests to check thyroid hormone levels, B vitamin levels, lead levels, and for signs of anemia and diabetes. An X-ray of your pelvis and thigh may be ordered to rule out other medical conditions, like bone tumors.
Can you have meralgia paresthetica if you have tight clothing?
You are also more likely to develop meralgia paresthetica if you: Wear tight clothing, girdles, or tight stockings or wear a heavy utility belt (like a tool belt or police gun belt) Have legs of two different lengths. Live with medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or alcoholism.
Diagnosis
Physical Exercises
- According to a case report published in a 2006 issue of the “Journal of Chiropractic Medicine,” a 22-year-old pregnant woman with meralgia paresthetica treated the condition using the "cat-camel" exercise. The lead researcher in the case, Clayton D. Skaggs, D.C., indicates this exercise helps to “floss” the lumbar nerves in the pelvic area. The exe...
Manual Manipulations
- If physical therapy is part of your regimen, your therapist will likely perform a variety of soft tissue manipulations. For example, the Active Release Technique, or ART, relieves potential adhesions in soft tissue that hamper movement and entrap nerves. The post-isometric relaxation technique, or PIR, is another technique that involves stretching a targeted muscle or group of muscles to the p…
Effectiveness
- The patient in the "Journal of Chiropractic Medicine" case study experienced a 90 percent improvement of symptoms after six exercise and manual manipulation sessions 1. She was also able to continue symptom management by performing the prescribed exercises at home. In fact, she was still pain-free at follow-up one year later.
Additional Measures
- The Mayo Clinic recommends additional self-care measures to help reduce meralgia paresthetica symptoms. Try to avoid walking or standing for long periods of time.Also avoid tight clothing, which can increase pressure on lateral nerves.