Ask Dr. H: Meralgia paresthetica, a pain in the thighs

Question:

For the last eight years, I've had a superficial burning pain with numbness and tingling affecting both outer thighs. I believe I have a condition called meralgia paresthetica. What can I do to make it better? Does being 10 to 15 pounds overweight cause this?

Answer: Meralgia paresthetica is a mouthful, but just means thigh (meros), pain (algia), and numbness/tingling (paresthesia) in Greek. It's due to a pinched nerve - the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, whose course passes through the front part of the hip and groin area. The job of this nerve is to supply feeling to the front and side areas of the thigh. If the nerve becomes compressed or entrapped, there will be numbness, burning and pain in the area.

A tight-fitting pair of pants, a tight belt, a girdle, trauma, or simply having too much body fat, especially in the waist and hips, are all causes of pinching the nerve and bringing on meralgia paresthetica.

Can anything be done? Probably the best thing you can do is wear loose-fitting pants and try to lose weight. Temporary relief can be obtained through anti-inflammatory medications like Motrin or a short course of steroids. Avoid activity that may stretch the nerve and aggravate it further.

If the pain continues, medications like Neurontin, Tegretol, or Elavil can reduce the brain's perception of the chronic pain. If nothing helps, the last resort is surgery to free the compressed nerve.

nolead begins

Q:

I'm in my early 50s, and it seems my allergies are getting worse each year. I grew up on an almond farm in California and never had spring allergies like I do now. Do allergies get worse with age?

A: For some people, they definitely do. New allergy exposures will trigger allergic reactions that wouldn't have been experienced previously. In your case, moving from California to Atlanta exposed you to a whole host of new pollens and allergens.

For reasons that aren't entirely understood, an adult can become sensitive to common allergens like tree pollen, dust mites, and molds that weren't bothersome in years past. I am now much more sensitive to oak pollen than I used to be.

Variables in weather can cause seasonal allergy symptoms to be better or worse, regardless of one's age. A mild winter can mean an early start to the allergy season. A rainy spring will wash the pollen from the air and reduce pollen counts. But it will also cause faster grass growth and more grass pollen. More rainfall in the fall and winter months can lead to a more robust spring bloom with higher pollen counts. A windy spring can blow around the pollen and make for a worse spring allergy season.