What Is Tingling Thigh Syndrome

Medically known as meralgia paresthetica, tingling thigh syndrome is the name given to a form of qnerve damage, at the outer thigh region, accompanied by a painful pinch.

It occurs because of the pressure experienced by femoral cutaneous nerve. Symptoms include burning sensation, numbness and hypersensitivity of the area. The legs too may feel numb because of this temporary nerve damage.

Risk is higher in pregnant women, obese people, construction workers and people who wear low slung belts. It is also seen in women who carry their baby for a much longer time on their hip. Any injury to the hip or the spinal area can also cause this syndrome.

People who wear very tight jeans for the sake of fashion are the ones suffering maximum from the syndrome. The situation may become worse if the jeans are paired with high heels.

Tingling thigh syndrome may occur as a symptom of any other health disorder. For example, multiple sclerosis, spondlylitis,restless leg syndrome, and spinal fracture or any other nerve disorder may be responsible for the syndrome.

Treatment Options

The good thing about the syndrome is that it is not a permanent condition. Once the pressure from the nerve is removed the nerve is able to regenerate itself and the pain fades away. This is the first step to treat the pain. It is only effective in those cases where an accessory or clothing is the cause of the syndrome.

There are several other ways of treating the syndrome once the cause has been recognized. But in case of obesity only weight loss can bring relief to the pain. Such patients should avoid sitting for several hours. The weight will put constant pressure on the outer thigh can cause major damage to the nerve.

Since the nerve falls under the category of symptomatic system NSAIDs may prove to be useful for the treatment.

If nothing is working then option of surgery may be considered.

Associated Risk

Risk of bleeding and infection is high in case of the surgery. Development of neuromas and permanent anesthesia of the thigh are also common. If treatment is done using NSAIDs then there is a high risk of liver malfunctioning, frequent fatigue, hypertension and renal damage.