Meralgia paresthetica

[yoshiii]

HI! A client has had numbness on the outside of her right thigh for about 30 years (since her early 20s). My best guess is meralgia paresthetica, but is there something else it could be? The numbness doesn't extend to the front of the thigh, doesn't go below her knee, doesn't reach to her gluteus medius. If you work directly on the area she doesn't feel it. It sometimes bothers her more, although she has trouble describing what she's feeling when it bothers her---closest thing might be an "ache." But it's never pain or tingling--always numbness or an ache.

I'm encouraging her to see a doctor to diagnose it, but still want to check.

Thank you!

 

[MzConception]

Meralgia paresthetica

Could be any number of things. I've occasionally seen such things change after some MFR, positional release, or other "indirect" treatment methods. I'd investigate the whole hip/glute complex, with special attention to the hip rotators and hip flexors. You might be surprised at what you find... but be very careful. It's easy to go too aggressively, so make yourself proceed slowly and don't expect too much.

 

[confused.]

dermatomal variations

Thanks, Jason, that's good advice. I shall proceed.

Fyi, I found this interesting link on the variations in lumbar and sacral dermatomes: http://www.chirogeek.com/003_DERMATOME-THEORY.htm. For example, in one study on L4, L5 and SI nerve roots, "some 20% of the patients did NOT have the typical 'nerve root dermatomal distributions'."

 

[DeepThrust]

Meralgia paresthetica

Dermatomal variations are more common than what is shown in books. Cause each human develops the internal neural network of receptors and nerves a little differently inside the uterus before birth. So what we read in books is just an approximate or average of common findings.

Now coming to the patient, well she could have meralgia but I would wait for a review of the Nerve conduction studies to confirm this.