Meralgia paresthetica can usually be diagnosed by doctors and physical therapists through medical history review and an extensive physical exam. Additional tests such as X-rays or MRI are rarely necessary.
Exercise techniques including hip abduction, seated stretching and lumbar rotation may relieve pressure from the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve and alleviate symptoms like pain or tingling. Strengthening leg muscles also help improve symptoms over time.
Lunges
Meralgia paresthetica symptoms include burning pain, tingling and numbness caused by pressure on the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve (LFCN). This nerve runs from your L2-L3 lumbar spine down toward your inguinal crease at the base of your hip bone just above your belt line or ASIS and, once there, across an inguinal ligament before innervating outer thigh skin.
Meralgia parsthetica can be caused by many factors, including excessive pressure from tight clothing or being overweight, pregnancy or an underlying condition such as diabetes. Strengthening muscle around the hip and knee can help decrease stress and pressure on LFCN to relieve symptoms and provide relief for those living with meralgia parsthetica.
Physical therapists are excellent resources for diagnosing and treating meralgia parsthetica. A physical therapist can teach specific exercises designed to strengthen muscles while relieving nerve pressure – this may involve soft tissue work, movement pattern evaluation or stabilization drills among others.
Lunges are an exercise requiring balance and core strength that are particularly helpful for treating meralgia paresthetica as they increase hip and knee mobility while targeting one side of the body at once. Through increased hip mobility and pelvic alignment work, lunges help decrease femoral nerve impingement – an often-suffering side-effect for those living with meralgia paraesthetica.
Physiotherapists frequently recommend plank as an exercise for meralgia paresthetica, which works the abs and posterior pelvic floor muscles. If someone struggles with balancing on forearms and toes, props such as pillows can help lower pressure on their upper back.
People suffering from meralgia paresthetica can benefit from taking other preventative steps, including wearing loose-fitting clothing and weight loss to reduce pressure on the groin area, using ice to decrease inflammation and pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to ease discomfort; in severe cases steroid injections may also be recommended by their doctors.
Donkey Kicks
Position yourself on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees beneath hips, engaging the core muscles by tightening abdominal muscles and straightening back, to help avoid arching the spine when lifting leg. In addition, strengthening of thigh and gluteal muscles help stabilize pelvis and reduce hip pain as you lift leg. Furthermore, pregnancy-safe yoga exercises like this one also helps build core strength that’s key for keeping abdomen and lower back strong during gestation – particularly one requiring a lot of lifting!
Doing this movement while wearing ankle weights can increase its intensity and add extra resistance to leg lifting exercises. For those living with meralgia paresthetica, performing their exercises with guidance from a physical therapist may prove especially helpful, providing guidance regarding proper technique and form.
Donkey Kick Exercise is a variation on the more commonly performed glute kickback exercise and works similar muscle groups. Both movements can be performed with or without ankle weights for added resistance. A standard donkey kick exercise entails four bent-knee hip extensions which focus on gluteus maximus muscle, responsible for hip extension when standing from sitting position; other gluteal muscles (Gluteus medius and minimus), along with hamstrings behind your legs, also assist this movement.
This exercise is an excellent hip abduction exercise that can help to increase stability in the hip joint while decreasing compression on the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. As such, it helps relieve symptoms associated with meralgia paresthetica.
Meralgia patients must perform this thigh abduction and core-strengthening exercise regularly in order to reduce pain. Be careful, however; performing it incorrectly could place extra stress on pelvis and spine – putting additional strain on pelvic structures as well. If experiencing hip or groin discomfort consult a physical therapist or doctor about ways of treating or managing it.
Pelvic Tilts
Fitness professionals may have heard of or been informed by clients that they possess a pelvic tilt. This exercise is essential to improving posture, strengthening core muscles, and supporting back health; however it should only be done under the guidance of a physical therapist to avoid future issues.
A pelvic tilt is an isometric exercise used to engage intrinsic core stabilizers – small muscle groups designed to stabilize your spine. A basic pelvic tilt entails lying on the floor with your soles against it and inhaling before exhaling to slowly raise your lower back off of the ground until fully extended, hold for several breaths, then return back down until reaching 15 repetitions per side.
This exercise is an easy, yet effective solution to meralgia paresthetica. It targets hip flexors and gluteus maximus as well as strengthening erector spinae muscles in your back – perfect for people who spend long hours sitting at work as the constant flexion can result in tight hips and weak core muscles.
The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is a sensory nerve that runs along the pelvis, groin and into the thighs. It may become compressed due to overstretching, excessive movement, poor alignment or simply increased body weight on legs and thighs. If the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve becomes trapped, it can result in numbness and pain in the front of the outer thigh. Most cases of meralgia paresthetica are due to compression from various mechanisms; most resolve with conservative treatments like wearing looser clothing, losing weight if necessary and developing an exercise regime targeting hip and leg muscles. For severe cases that do not resolve on their own, surgery may be advised by doctors in order to release pressure off of the nerve.
Lumbar Rotations
An uncomfortable burning sensation in your outer thigh may be caused by compression of one of the large nerves running to your legs, known as Meralgia paresthetica in medical parlance. While it can be quite disruptive to daily activities, with proper exercises it should quickly subside.
The nerve involved here is known as the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve (LFCN). This nerve travels across your hips and lower back, passing over various joints, bones, muscles and nerves before reaching its destination – from your leg’s front side all the way back through. In most cases, there’s plenty of space for this nerve to pass freely but factors like inflammation, tightness or repetitive leg movements may narrow this space and suffocate its path resulting in its eventual suffocation of its path.
Meralgia paresthetica occurs most commonly as the result of entrapment of the LFCN as it passes beneath the inguinal ligament at the front of the lower pelvis, often due to tight clothing or girdles and carrying extra weight; or from surgery such as hip replacement or spine fusion surgery. On occasion, meralgia paresthetica can also result from using certain seat belts during car accidents.
Your doctor will perform a physical exam and examine the site of pain and tingling to diagnose meralgia parsthetica. They may perform a nerve conduction test where electrode patches on your skin send out small electrical impulses that measure nerve conduction speed and efficiency. They may also recommend looser clothing and weight loss as these strategies can ease pressure off nerves.
Though there’s no cure for meralgia paresthetica, many of the same exercise techniques used to address back, hip, and core conditions may provide some relief from its painful symptoms. Hip mobility work, pelvic stability drills, and stretching exercises may help increase flexibility and balance while decreasing chances of femoral nerve entrapment.
These straightforward exercises can quickly alleviate meralgia paresthetica, returning normal function to the lower body. In addition, spinal rotations foster healthy circulation which transports essential nutrients and oxygen-rich blood directly to vital organs and bodily tissues.
