mrsbadcrumble asked: My left thigh is "numb", in that I don't get goosebumps there and when I scratch it, if feels...muffled, if that makes sense. But it also aches intensely sometimes, usually after I'm on my feet for a long time. I've been x-rayed and MRI'ed and apparently it's just a pinched nerve. No one seems too concerned about it; should I? Is there anything that can help?
The problem with saying “just a pinched nerve” is that the nerve often becomes progressively more inflamed and what starts out as an annoying condition that can be handled with some physical therapy or even yoga becomes a permanently damaged nerve that doesn’t fully recover even after surgery.
This problem is similar to what I posted about necks last week. Imagine instead of a nerve, it is your finger. Your finger is smashed in a door and instead of taking it out of the door, you leave it in there or even slam the door on it again every day. If you would have opened the door and pulled your finger out of it the first day, it would recover just fine. But after weeks and months of pressure the damage may be permanent.
I don’t know what type of health care provider you saw or who ordered the MRI, but pinched nerves are nothing to mess with. In addition to the damage the nerve might sustain, the imbalance in your posture or the arthritis or whatever is causing the nerve problem can cause a cascade of issues.
Let’s say you have a little bone spur that is compressing the nerve. The sensation is a little off in your leg, and that causes your gait to be a little off. The funny gait stresses your other hip or knee or the other side of your spine. It sounds a little alarmist, but that is what can happen.
I suggest a second opinion, especially if this has been going on for a while. At the very least you should get a handout with some physical therapy exercises for whatever spinal nerve has the issue. That nerve pain is a symptom, not the cause of your problem.
Look at this link: Dermatomes. Dermatomes indicate the area of your body innervated by a particular nerve. The chart is like a spinal nerve map. Because you have an issue on your thigh, I know the problem is probably in your lumbar spine. I used to have a dermatome chart hanging in my office because in addition to being incredibly useful, it’s just plain neat.
Please go back to your doctor, or get a second opinion from a rehab specialist, ortho or neuro doctor.
