In plain words
Meralgia paresthetica is numbness, tingling, or burning on the front and outer thigh. It comes from pressure on a sensory nerve, the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, as it passes near the hip. Pregnancy can add pressure from weight, posture, and a growing belly. It usually does not cause back pain, which helps tell it apart from sciatica. It is often harmless and can improve. Some people have weakness or pain that does not fit the usual pattern. If numbness is spreading, or your leg feels weak, call your provider the same day.
The deeper version
Meralgia paresthetica is entrapment or compression neuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, a sensory nerve, as it passes under the inguinal ligament near the anterior superior iliac spine. Symptoms include burning, paresthesia, and numbness over the anterolateral thigh, without motor deficit or back pain. In pregnancy, increased abdominal girth, weight gain, and posture changes are proposed contributors. It is one of several differentials for thigh, back, and hip pain, alongside renal , transient osteoporosis of the hip, and pregnancy-associated vertebral osteoporotic fracture. Diagnosis is clinical, with nerve conduction studies or imaging used when the picture is atypical. The main controversy is the relative weight of pregnancy mechanics versus clothing or body habitus.
Where it comes up
- Back pain and sciaticaPregnancy: Your Body
- Pelvic girdle pain and SPDPregnancy: Your Body
- Weight gain in pregnancyPregnancy: Your Body
What mothers here say about meralgia paresthetica
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Ropper AH, Samuels MA and Klein JP — Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology (2014)