What is Meralgia Paresthetica?
Meralgia paresthetica is a sensations of numbness and tingling after pressure from either a belt around the waist or long periods of sitting. At times this can cause nerve irritation and in turn cause these sensations to be long lasting needing treatment to help alleviate the symptoms. Meralgia paresthetica can also be easily misdiagnosed as it is something that can be closely related to more severe cases of sciatic nerve pain / disc bulges.
Reasons for diagnosis:
Complaint of numbness and tingling in the lateral thigh
Restricted hip and thigh range of motion after wearing a tight belt / trousers or having heavy pockets
Aggravated “like” pain when lateral thigh is compressed
Affected ADL’s and/or decrease concentration due to pain
Factors that could be contributing to the problem:
- Trauma
- Overuse of gluteal muscles or erector spinae
- Obesity
- Tight or heavy belt pockets
- Long periods of sitting
Therapies For Meralgia Parasthetica
- Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term impact.
- Spinal manipulation/activator/drop piece techniques – adjustive techniques have been shown to decrease pain and increase range of motion.
- Trigger point therapy/handheld massager – have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility.
- Prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality and overall wellbeing in patients in both long- and short-term outcomes.
- Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores.
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Pains and weakness on the outside of your elbow? You may be suffering from Tennis elbow. Tennis elbow is found commonly in individuals who use repeated arm and wrist movements such as baristas, painters, bar tenders, office workers and racquet sports players.
Tennis elbow is an overuse injury caused by repetitive strain of the muscles controlling backward wrist and finger movements. This repeated strain causes degeneration of the tendon and subsequent pain.
Tennis elbow has long been known as ‘Lateral Epicondylitis’. However this indicates inflammation of the tendon. Studies now indicate that it is not an inflammatory condition but a degenerative one.
Symptoms Include!
Pain localised to the outside of the Elbow (especially on the bone).
Tennis elbow affects approximately 1-3 % of people every year. Although it can affect anyone, people over 40 are most at risk. Funnily enough tennis players only make up only 5-10% of the patient population despite the name
If left untreated, it can take between 6 months and 2 years to get better. In some cases it may not get better without the need of physical therapy or surgery
Here are some exercises that may help speed up your recovery of tennis elbow
Eccentric Wrist Extension
Eccentric Supination
Soft tissue Muscle Mobilisation
Forearm Extensor Stretch
Remember to consult a health care professional before commencing these exercises