Is walking a risk for thigh numbness?
(India)
Male, age 63, Ht 178, Wt. 85 kg.
DM, HT 20 yrs
- need to walk brisk for 45 mins daily.
Do have occasional lower back ache generally under control.
Recently while walking faster, appeared to pull a groin muscle. Took rest for two days, and started slowly finding that the groin pain had subsided. Mild lower back ache in spinal cord; would go down after sleep. Two days later, feeling numbness in left thigh outer edge skin. Typically matches well with your sketch shown in 'meralgia paresthetica' page.
This is continuing now for 5 days. Had started elliptical low intensity slowly after finding that lower back pain was not getting aggravated.
I shall definitely see a doctor, but your site gives confidence and hope that your opinion might be useful for discussing with my doctor.
Specifically I would like to know:
1. Is it risky to try walking (5 km/hr, incline 1), or cycling (in Gym) to burn calories for my DM type II.
2. Would exercises help as suggested in your website hip hike and leg raise, as well as a few others, such as fig of four, pigeon or bird stretch, etc. However, these others are for sciatica where as yours is the first one among about ten that addresses the correct form of numbness with low grade ache in lower back.
Hello.
There's even greater risk if you don't walk, but yes walking can increase the numbness in your leg, especially if you have a short leg.
Remember the commonest cause of groin pain whilst walking is an arthritic hip.
Ask you doctor to examine your leg length and the status of your hip.
I hope it's not meralgia paresthetica because medicine doesn't have many answers and there aren't many chiropractors in India as far as I know. It's double crush syndrome with the nerve affected in the groin area and in the spine; both have to be addressed for a successful outcome.
I hope this contributes.
Dr B