Numbness in the thigh, a case study, part 3


Acute pain, Buttock pain, Groin pain, Leg pain, Nerve entrapment, Numbness, Piriformis syndrome / Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

What other joints and muscles should be considered when treating numbness in the thigh? The sacroiliac joint is one which doctors often check for symptoms referring into the butt and thigh. Although the SI joint may be involved in a pain pattern and should be treated if it is, it is not likely to be the cause of numbness in the thigh. Neither are the gluteals, although Patrick’s associated symptoms could be caused by Trigger Points from this muscle group. His symptoms start with pain and numbness in the buttocks and pain referring into the outer and inner thigh, occasionally also shooting into the groin and down into the lower leg. Pain in the butt and down as far as the lower leg are typical referrals for the gluteus minimus. Referrals into the groin could be from the quadratus lumborum, lower abdominals or local tension in the adductors, but are also caused by meralgia paresthetica (entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve).

The Patrick’s pain is associated with weakness which developed in association with tingling. Entrapment of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis could cause symptoms of motor weakness in muscles enervated by the sciatic nerve in the posterior thigh, leg and foot. Buttock pain can also be caused by local tension of the piriformis as well as the gluteals.

Important as treating these symptoms are, the major concern was to address the numbness in the outer thigh. The sensations there included what he described as feeling like a bad sunburn. Light touch was almost unbearable although deeper pressure didn’t hurt. For this reason, my next job was to address entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve in the pelvis.

Entrapment syndromes are regularly treated by Neuromuscular Therapy. Read the next post for more information on this nerve entrapment syndrome called meralgia paresthethica, the anatomy, symptoms and treatment with NMT.