Accompanying symptoms

The accompanying symptoms can provide an important indication of the cause. If the pain is accompanied by a weakness in the mobility of the hip, especially the internal rotation, this indicates hip arthrosis. If there is a palpable swelling in the groin area, a hernia of the groin or thigh should be clarified.

If the affected leg is swollen and discolored bluish, a thrombosis should be considered. Strained muscles usually cause pain in certain movements that specifically affect the muscles. Inflammation is manifested by overheating, redness, swelling and may be accompanied by fever.

Restricted movement

A restriction of hip movement can either indicate a malfunction of the hip joint, e.g. as part of hip joint arthrosis, or a problem of the muscles or nerves involved. If the femoral nerve has been damaged in the course of trauma, for example, it is not possible to sit up from a lying position because the hip cannot be actively flexed. Bursitis of the hip as a result of severe overexertion can also lead to reduced mobility.

Numbness means that the nerve that sensitively supplies the specific area has been damaged or irritated. The thigh is sensitively innervated by various nerves. The exact localization allows us to identify the affected nerve.

The inner thigh is supplied by the nervus femoralis, the upper inner part near the genitals is supplied by the nervus genitofemoralis and the lateral thigh by the purely sensitive nervus cutaneus femoris lateralis. Pain and numbness in the lateral thigh suggest the clinical picture of the Meralgia paraesthetica.This occurs when the nerve is constricted over a long period of time, for example by wearing tight pants or wearing seat belts during long and frequent driving. The posterior thigh is mainly innervated by the cautaneus femoris posterior nerve. The most common causes of nerve lesions are previous surgery in the hip area or pressure loads due to tight clothing, overweight or tense muscles or other spatial demands.