Helping Yourself To Manage Meralgia Paraesthetica
Meralgia paraesthetica is a painful condition, that is caused by the nerve that supplies the feeling to the upper part of the leg, namely the thigh, being trapped. This results in patients feeling the sensations of numbness or tingling, even a burning sensation in the outer thigh.
It is important to seek a complete medical diagnosis if you suspect that you may be suffering from meralgia paraesthetica, because there is often an underlying cause for this condition i.e. there is a reason why this nerve has become trapped and that cause needs to be treated. In other words, the meralgia paraesthetica is a symptom of something else not being right.
The causes of meralgia paraesthetica are varied, but some very common causes are excess pressure on the groin area from pregnancy or being overweight. There may have been some kind of injury to the groin area, from playing sport, rigorous exercise or even sometimes from a seat belt, if someone has been involved in a road traffic exercise. Illnesses such as diabetes can also cause meralgia paraesthetica.
However, if you are diagnosed with meralgia paraesthetica and are receiving treatment in the form of medication and perhaps injections to ease the pain, or you are awaiting radiofrequency treatment or even surgery, then there are some things that you can still do to help yourself. If, however, you are pregnant, then ensure that you receive specific advice that is relevant to pregnant women.
Lose Weight
If the primary cause of the meralgia paraesthetica is due to being overweight, then losing weight, no matter how little, will certainly help your condition. Often the condition can be aggravated (or even caused by) wearing clothes that are too tight, so losing some weight will certainly help the groin to experience less pressure and you should find that the pain is less intense.
Wear Looser Clothing
Although this may seem a rather superficial issue, the tighter the clothes, the more pressure is exerted on the groin, so clothes should not pinch and if clothes are tight then the situation will not be helped. Since weight loss is not an instant cure, until the weight loss is achieved, it may make sense to buy some looser clothing that will result in the groin being freer and therefore there will be less pain.
Keep Moving
Moving is not about rigorous exercise, it simply means that you should avoid either sitting or standing for very long periods, since either of these activities, when undertaken for a long time, will result in pressure on the groin. So if you are sedentary for long periods, or have to stand for a long time, then simply make sure that you take a break to stand up and walk around if you are sedentary or to shift your standing position and sit down for a few minutes every 30 minutes or so.
These simple measures can make the condition easier to live with, although they are no substitute for a proper medical diagnosis with appropriate treatments, but they can simply help to manage the condition in very simple ways, which are relatively effective.
