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Treatment
- Wearing looser clothing.
- Losing excess weight.
- Taking OTC pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or aspirin.
Medication
MP may go away without treatment after a few weeks or months. If symptoms continue, you may need any of the following: Medicines may be given to relieve pain or decrease inflammation. Surgery may be needed if your symptoms are severe and other treatments do not work. The nerve may be removed or the tissue around it cut to relieve pressure.
Procedures
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
Self-care
Meralgia paraesthetica appears to respond rapidly to electroacupuncture. A significant trigger point at GB31 was universally present, which may aid diagnosis, although the reason for this is unclear. Further controlled studies are justified. Meralgia paraesthetica appears to respond rapidly to electroacupuncture.
Nutrition
Suspended row
- Hold the two handles of a suspension band and stand facing the band’s anchor point.
- Keep the body straight and make a row movement with the upper body, opening up the elbows in a row motion.
- Start with keeping your elbows in a low row at about a 45 degree angle. ...
Can Meralgia_paresthetica be cured without surgery?
What is the difference between sciatica and Meralgia paresthetica?
Can acupuncture work for meralgia paresthesia?
How to treat notalgia paresthetica?

How do you get rid of 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.
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.
Does meralgia paresthetica go away?
Typically, meralgia paresthetica goes away in a few months on its own or with conservative treatment, like wearing loose-fitting clothing or losing weight. Pregnant women with the condition usually experience relief after giving birth. More severe cases may require medications or surgery.
What happens if meralgia paresthetica goes untreated?
Left untreated, however, meralgia paresthetica may lead to serious pain or paralysis. Seek prompt medical care for persistent systems of meralgia paresthetica, such as numbness, tingling, or mild pain, as continued compression of the nerve may lead to permanent damage and paralysis.
How do you release pressure from the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve?
In more severe cases, corticosteroid injections or injectable pain medications may relieve symptoms. Rarely, surgery is necessary to correct any compression on the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Surgery is usually only recommended for people who try other treatments but still experience symptoms.
How did I get meralgia paresthetica?
It's caused by compression of the nerve that provides sensation to the skin covering your thigh. 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.
Does cortisone shot help meralgia paresthetica?
It is commonly treated medically with gabapentin and pregabalin with adverse effects such as sedation and weight gain. Perineural injection of corticosteroids such as triamcinolone, dexamethasone, betamethasone, and methylprednisolone have been shown to be effective in case series.
Can a chiropractor fix meralgia paresthetica?
Conclusion. In the present case, chiropractic management with standard and applied kinesiology techniques resulted in recovery of meralgia paresthetica symptoms for this patient.
Does MRI show meralgia paresthetica?
Imaging studies. Although no specific changes are evident on X-ray if you have meralgia paresthetica, images of your hip and pelvic area might be helpful to exclude other conditions as a cause of your symptoms. A CT scan or MRI might be ordered if your doctor suspects that a tumor could be causing your pain.
What kind of doctor treats meralgia paresthetica?
A neurologist treats disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves.
Is massage good for meralgia paresthetica?
If tightness is found in any of the hip flexors (hip flexor musculature is often locked short due to prolonged sitting postures at home and work), then moist heat, followed by soft tissue manipulation (massage) and stretching may be helpful; particular attention should be paid to the sartorius and tensor fasciae latae ...
Can meralgia paresthetica be extremely painful?
In a few cases, in which pain is persistent or severe, surgical intervention may be indicated. Meralgia paresthetica usually has a good prognosis. In most cases, meralgia paresthetica will improve with conservative treatment or may even spontaneously resolve.
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 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.
Can you get meralgia paresthetica?
Anyone can develop meralgia paresthetica . However, you are more likely to develop this condition if you are: Diabetic. Exposed to lead paint. Injured by your seatbelt during a car accident. Overweight or obese. Pregnant. Recovering from a recent surgery.
Can you get surgery for lateral femoral nerve?
In more severe cases, corticosteroid injections or injectable pain medications may relieve symptoms. Rarely, surgery is necessary to correct any compression on the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Surgery is usually only recommended for people who try other treatments but still experience symptoms.
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.
What is the best medication for meralgia paresthetica?
Tricyclic antidepressants to relieve the pain for some people with meralgia paresthetica. Anti-seizure medications to help reduce pain. Your doctor might prescribe gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise), pregabalin (Lyrica), or phenytoin (Dilantin). In rare cases, surgery.
How to treat meralgia paresthetica?
Often, the numbness, tingling, or pain of meralgia paresthetica can be remedied with simple steps such as weight loss, exercise, or wearing looser clothing. If initial treatment is not effective for you, your doctor has a number of medication options, such as corticosteroids, tricyclic antidepressants, and anti-seizure medications.
What is the treatment for persistent meralgia?
In this case, recommended treatment may include medications to relieve symptoms or, in rare cases, surgery.
What to take for a swollen ear?
If the discomfort is too much of a distraction or hinderance in daily life, your doctor might recommend an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever such as: 1 aspirin 2 acetaminophen (Tylenol) 3 ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil)
Does compression of the thigh nerve cause numbness?
Compression of this nerve causes numbness, tingling, stinging, or burning pain on the surface of your thigh, but it does not affect your ability to use your leg muscles.
How to cure meralgia paresthetica?
Eliminating the cause of compression should be the first objective when trying to cure meralgia paresthetica. Exercise to Relieve Meralgia Parathetica Step by Step. Lunge forward with the painful leg behind. Rotate leg inward to put tension on the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve.
What are the symptoms of meralgia parathetica?
These symptoms are generally only on one leg and brought on my walking, prolonged standing, or activities such as running . Numbness and tingling on the outer leg.
What nerve is burning in the outer leg?
If you trace the area of pain or burning over the outer leg and have one of the mechanisms of compression listed above then there is a good shot that you’re lateral femoral cutaneous nerve the culprit. In more difficult cases there are several special tests that can be performed to obtain a diagnosis.
What nerve causes a parathetical sensation?
Meralgia Parathetica occurs when the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve becomes irritable by generally mechanical compression (pinched nerve). This is a cutaneous nerve which means it supplies the touch sensation to the skin of the outer leg.
What is a functional exam for meralgia parasthetica?
1) Meralgia Parasthetica Exercises (Functional Exam and Exercises) Since the nerves that run down the front and outside of the leg originating from the upper lumbar spine (L1-3), it needs to be assessed for dynamic control.
How to release tension in the leg?
Don’t push Farther! Once you feel the light stretch then release the tension by coming out of the lunge position or just by decreasing the depth of the lung.
Is surgery needed for a nerve compression?
Surgery isn’t generally needed and serves as a last case scenario if conservative treatment fails. This surgery is to clip the fascial scar tissue that is causing a compression around the nerve.
What is the best medicine for meralgia?
The most commonly used medications are gabapentin, phenytoin, and pregabalin. Gabapentin is a medication used to treat both epilepsy and nerve pain in adults, and it may be a good choice when treating meralgia paresthetica caused by diabetic neuropathy. The medication stabilizes electrical impulses in the brain and affects the way nerves send ...
How do steroids help with meralgia?
Like cortisol, the steroids reduce inflammation in the nerve and provide temporary pain relief. There are a few potential side effects like pain around the site of the injection, nerve damage, and joint infection. When the medication is administered, the needle injects it into the 'tunnel' the nerve travels through. Steroid injections are done on a short outpatient basis. Patients may have them performed in a clinic, hospital, or surgery center. After a few minutes of monitoring, the doctor will clear the patient to return home. Patients will also be given information on how to relieve potential side effects.
What is pregabalin used for?
Pregabalin is used to relieve pain from nerve damage , and it decreases the number of pain signals the nerves send to the brain, causing patients to experience less overall pain. In addition to treating nerve pain, pregabalin is sometimes paired with other medications to treat seizures. It's used for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
How long does it take for meralgia paresthetica to go away?
The symptoms of meralgia paresthetica tend to go away after a few months. To treat the disease, doctors focus on relieving nerve compression. One of the conservative measures patients can take is to lose excess weight, as losing weight keeps the nerve from being compressed.
What are the risk factors for meralgia paresthetica?
Risk factors include being obese or overweight, since this can increase pressure on the nerve. A nerve injury related to diabetes can also lead to meralgia paresthetica. Pregnant women are also at an increased risk. The risk is also heightened for those between thirty and sixty years old.
Why does my thigh feel numb?
Meralgia paresthetica occurs when the nerve that allows the thigh's skin surface to experience sensation becomes compressed, leading to burning pain, numbness, and tingling in the outer thigh. There are a few common causes of the condition, including obesity, pregnancy, and tight clothing. Meralgia paresthetica may also occur because ...
Can you wear skinny jeans with meralgia?
This is particularly true when it comes to clothes like skinny jeans, which don't have a lot of stretch. One of the simplest fixes for meralgia paresthetica is to wear loose clothing. The changes in wardrobe don't have to be drastic.
What is the diagnosis of meralgia paresthetica?
Proper diagnosis of meralgia paresthetica requires the expert attention of an experienced physician to determine the cause and an appropriate treatment plan, including a surgical option if required.
How to reduce swelling in hips?
Wearing less restrictive clothing. Weight loss. An injection of a corticosteroid to reduce swe lling.
Can a transposition of the nerve cause numbness?
Other operations can transpose the nerve, moving it to a position where it is less likely to become pinched. Transection, or cutting the nerve, can relieve the pain of meralgia paresthetica, but result in lasting numbness.
What is meralgia paresthetica ?
Meralgia paresthetica is caused by the compression of one of the large sensory nerves in the leg — the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. This nerve provides sensation to the skin along the outer thigh starting from the inguinal ligament and extending down toward the knee.
Symptoms
The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve branches off the lumbar plexus, a network of nerves that connects the spinal cord in the lower back with the motor and sensory nerves of the legs and lower body. It provides sensation to the front and sides of the thigh. This is a pure sensory nerve and does not operate any muscles.
Causes of meralgia paresthetica
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.
Treatment of meralgia paresthetica
Treatment for meralgia paresthetica can be difficult. In some cases, perhaps the easiest treatment would be to leave the lateral cutaneous femoral nerve alone, as most cases of meralgia paresthetica resolve on their own.
How to treat meralgia paresthetica?
Doctors and physical therapists may recommend exercises as a first-line treatment for meralgia paresthetica. These help stretch the muscles and tissues in the pelvis and thighs to prevent them from pressing on the LCF nerve.
What are some exercises to help with meralgia parasthetica?
This causes tingling, numbness, and pain in the outer thigh. Stretching and strengthening exercises may help release the nerve, thereby easing the symptoms of meralgia parasthetica.
What nerve causes tingling in the thigh?
Image credit: lzf/Getty Images. Meralgia paresthetica involves the compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous (LFC) nerve. This runs from the spine through the pelvis to the skin of the outer thigh. Any compression of the LFC nerve can cause symptoms such as tingling, numbness, or a burning sensation in the skin of the outer thigh.
What causes tingling in the upper leg?
Meralgia pare sthetica involves the compression of a nerve in the upper leg. This causes tingling, numbness, and pain in the outer thigh. Stretching and strengthening exercises may help release the nerve, thereby easing the symptoms of meralgia parasthetica. Below, we describe what meralgia paresthetica is and what causes it.
How to stretch the psoas muscle?
The psoas muscle extends from the lower back across the pelvis to the top of the leg. It flexes the hip joint and lifts the upper leg. To perform this stretch: Stand about 2 feet from a wall, with the feet shoulder-width apart. Place both palms on the wall at approximately shoulder height.
How to reduce swelling around nerve?
performing muscle stretching and strengthening exercises. If the approaches above do not alleviate the symptoms, the doctor may recommend steroid injections to reduce swelling around the nerve.
How to strengthen hip stabilizers?
To perform the exercise: Lie on the left side with both feet together and the knees at a 45-degree angle to the hips. Slowly raise the right knee. Hold the position for 1 second, then lower the knee to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 15 times, then switch sides.
