Hip Care

The orthopedic surgeons at Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports
Medicine, P. C. can evaluate your hip condition or injury and
provide a customized treatment plan to get you back to enjoying life!!

Burning Thigh Pain Meralgia Paresthetica 

Hip Specialists In The Greater St. John, Crown Point
and Lowell, Indiana Areas

The orthopedic surgeons at Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, P. C. treat hip conditions and injuries at our 3 convenient offices in
St. John, Crown Point and Lowell, Indiana.  Our orthopedic physicians are specialty-trained in treating hip conditions and injuries.  As leaders in orthopedic care, we provide minimally invasive and innovative treatment options, as well as utilizing state-of-the art technologies, to create unique and individualized care plan designed to get you back on your road to recovery and regaining an active lifestyle!!

FAQs on Burning Thigh Pain Meralgia Paresthetica 

Burning Thigh Pain (Meralgia Paresthetica)

The nerves in your body bring information to the brain about the environment (sensory nerves) and messages from the brain to activate muscles (motor nerves). To do this, nerves must pass over, under, around, and through your joints, bones, and muscles. Usually, there is enough room to permit easy passage.

Swelling, trauma, or pressure can narrow these openings and squeeze the nerve. When that happens, pain, paralysis, or other dysfunction may result.

Symptoms

A painful, burning sensation on the outer side of the thigh may mean that one of the large sensory nerves to your legs–the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN)–is being compressed. This condition is known as meralgia paresthetica (me-ral’-gee-a par-es-thet’-i-ka).

  • Pain on the outer side of the thigh, occasionally extending to the outer side of the knee
  • A burning sensation, tingling, or numbness in the same area
  • Occasionally, aching in the groin area or pain spreading across the buttocks
  • Usually only on one side of the body
  • Usually more sensitive to light touch than to firm pressure

Diagnosis

During a physical examination, your orthopedic surgeon will ask about recent surgeries, injury to the hip, or repetitive activities that could irritate the nerve. He or she will also check for any sensory differences between the affected leg and your other leg. To verify the site of the burning pain, Dr. Backe will put some pressure on the nerve to reproduce the sensation. You may need both an abdominal and a pelvic examination to exclude any problems in those areas.

X-rays will help identify any bone abnormalities that might be putting pressure on the nerve. If the orthopedic specialists at Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, P. C. suspects that a growth such as a tumor is the source of the pressure, he or she may ask for a magnetic resonance image or a computed tomography (CT) scan. In rare cases, a nerve conduction study may be advised.

Restrictive clothing and weight gain are two common reasons for pressure on a nerve. Your physician may ask if you wear a heavy tool belt at work or if you consistently wear a tight corset or girdle. He or she may recommend a weight loss program. Another reason may result from a seatbelt injury during a motor vehicle injury.

Treatment

Treatments will vary, depending on the source of the pressure. It may take time for the burning pain to stop and, in some cases, numbness will persist despite treatment. The goal is to remove the cause of the compression. This may mean resting from an aggravating activity, losing weight, wearing loose clothing, or using a toolbox instead of wearing a tool belt. In more severe cases, our orthopedic specialists may give you an injection of a corticosteroid preparation to reduce inflammation. This generally relieves the symptoms for some time. In rare cases, surgery is needed to release the nerve.