What Is Meralgia Paresthetica?
Meralgia paresthetica is a neurological condition that causes burning, numbness, and also the pain in the outer thigh. It is also called Bernhardt-Roth syndrome. The most common causes of this condition are excessive pressure or damage to one of the nerves in that area.
Usually, this syndrome is not a serious condition and it can be solved by simple methods, while some more serious forms can even require surgery. The cause of meralgia paraesthetica is the most frequent wearing tight clothes or obesity, but also pregnancy.
However, there is often no cause for concern, because symptoms can be easily solved in certain ways, such as wearing comfortable clothes and some other methods we will mention in the following text.
Symptoms
It is not difficult to spot the symptoms of meralgia paresthetica because you can feel specific alerts on one side of the body.
Some of the most common symptoms are tingling, numbness, high heat, and touch sensitivity and burning. It may also happen that the symptoms disappear for some time, but they come back again later. The pain will be weaker in the beginning, and later, it will become stronger, as well.
Causes
We have already said that this syndrome is due to excessive pressure or some damage to a nerve in the outer thigh. People with meralgia paresthetica have a problem with sensory nerves in this area of the body. These nerves are located in the muscles and the problem arises when they do not have enough space to pass through the hip bone or joints. These problems arise due to some trauma, high pressure in this part of the body, and even some diseases that cause damage to the nerves.
In addition to the aforementioned tight clothes, obesity, and pregnancy, meralgia paresthetica can also be caused by injuries in traffic accidents, but also by long walking or standing and diabetes. The cause may also be the repetition of the leg movements, which affect the nerves.
Diagnosis
Of course, first of all, you need to go to your doctor so that he or she can check all the abnormalities in that part of your body. You will probably get a physical exam. The doctor will also ask you about all the symptoms you feel and about all the details of your injuries and surgeries if any.
Sometimes it may be hard to determine whether it really is meralgia paresthetica, because these symptoms are similar to some diseases and conditions of the back, groin, and hip. You need to have the patience to find the right treatment for your problem. So, all that is necessary is to follow the instructions of your doctor, and you will have no problems.
Treatment
After determining the correct state, you will get the appropriate treatment. The main thing to do is to reduce pressure on this part of the body. If your condition is easier, you can get medicines such as naproxen, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin in order to reduce your pain. Still, some solutions are physical therapy, wearing comfortable clothes, but also reducing weight. Doctors recommend heat or ice as a possible solution to your condition, as well.
However, if your case is more complicated and more serious, then you will need other ways to cure. Your doctor may recommend a corticosteroid shot to reduce swelling or even surgery. We must say that the surgery is applied in cases that are difficult and which is not solved by any of the above methods.
After therapy, it will take some time to recover completely. This period may last from 4 to 6 weeks. There are cases where people, even after treatment felt certain symptoms of meralgia paresthetica for some time. But it’s a very short period after which therapy should work and you should feel better.
