Duration | Numbness in the thigh

Duration

The duration of numbness in the thigh depends on the cause and is therefore difficult to make a general statement.

Prognosis

The regression of the numbness varies according to the causative disease and treatment. In most cases the prognosis is favorable. In case of a lasting damage of a nerve or a nerve tract, there is a possibility of a permanent numbness.

By localization:

If only the outer side of the thigh is affected by numbness, this is the typical localization for the symptoms of a meralgia paraesthetica, i.e. an entrapment of the nerve under the inguinal ligament. This nerve, the lateral femoral cutaneus nerve, is responsible for the sensitive treatment of the entire outer side of the thigh. Burning pain and sensitivity disorders on the outside of the thigh are typical.

This may be accompanied by numbness, but pain is often the main symptom. Too tight jeans, obesity and pregnancy are all factors that can lead to a narrowing of the nerves under the inguinal ligament.An improvement of the symptoms usually occurs during flexion in the hip joint. If this nerve is damaged by another cause, e.g. by an inflammation or by the use of force, numbness may also occur on the outside of the thigh.

If the numbness occurs on the front side of the thigh, a herniated disc in the lumbar spine affecting the segments of the nerve roots L2 or L3 may be the cause. Nerve roots supply a certain area of the body sensitively, this area is called dermatome. The nerve root L2 affects an area on the front thigh just below the inguinal ligament.

The nerve root L3 supplies an area that runs from the outside and top of the thigh down and inside and ends just above the knee. In case of a herniated disc, accompanying symptoms such as pain or sensory disturbances or paralysis can also occur. If bladder or bowel emptying disorders occur additionally, a doctor should be consulted immediately.

If these nerve roots are irritated by other causes, such as an inflammatory process or constriction, similar symptoms can occur in these dermatomes In addition, damage to a nerve that supplies the front of the thigh can lead to numbness This nerve is called the femoral nerve and has branches that supply the skin on the front of the thigh in a sensitive way and branches that supply parts of the thigh muscles and are therefore important for the movement of the knee. In addition to numbness, problems can occur when climbing stairs, for example, because the extension in the knee joint is weakened. Damage to the nerve can occur, for example, as a result of operations in the nerve region, through constriction of the nerve due to bleeding or space demands or after punctures in the groin region.