Skin pain on the thigh

Factual Questions
1

I know that I will need to go to a doctor to get a more precise diagnosis, but since it costs me money I am loathe to go unless my condition is serious. So I’m asking you Dopers first.

At night I get skin pain on my left thigh, on the left anterior area. It is very painful if I’ve been laying on my right side and then roll over onto my back. It feels like burning, and if I’m sitting during the day I get a similar sensation, but not as intense. If I touch that area of my leg, it feels numb (my leg can’t sense my fingers as well as my right thigh does).

Other than these symptoms, my thigh looks exactly the same as it always has. And I have no other problems (muscle weakness, muscle pain).

Any ideas as to what might be going on? I tried to do a Google search but I didn’t come up with much. Also, what sort of doctor would I have to go and see about this? Here in Japan, we don’t have GPs; we go straight to a specialist.

Thanks.

2

Any kind of pain can be a sign of serious illness. Go to a doctor, now! Pain evolved as a response to a problem and shuld never be ignored. Sre, it could go away, but why take the chance? At least get it checked out.

3

OK, Q.E.D., but what kind of doctor should I go and see? A dermatologist? A neurologist? A muscle doctor (what is that called, anyway?)?

4

You should get it checked out, but I will take a stab at it anyway. Have you gained any weight lately? Could be pressure on a nerve if your pants or belt are tighter than usual. I get the same thing, though more like a numb patch on the front of my thigh, and that’s what my doctor said.

5

Thanks, Fear Itself. No, actually I’ve LOST weight recently, so I doubt that’s it. But pressure on a nerve, its an idea. I find it strange that its worst at night when I’ve been lying on my right side. It doesn’t happen when I’m on my left side.

6

I don’t know how the medical system is in Japan, Tsubaki, but pressured nerve or no – I’d hasten to your family doctor pronto if I were you. Strange tingling and numbness in the legs, especially getting worse at night, needs to be checked out. Take care of yourself.

7

If it were me, I’d begin with a dermatologist, since you describe it as a skin pain. Presumbably one specialist can recommend another if he cannot treat it?

8

The pain itself is most likely referred pain from the lower back. I would see a neurologist, especially if there is no rash there.

The most likely diagnosis is neurogenic pain. There may be a pinched ilioinguinal or lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh. This comes off at the L1-L2 level of the lumbar spine and may be pinched due to inflammation at the hip or sacroiliac joint IIRC. Shingles or post-herpetic neuralgia may also cause such a pain, but with this there is usually a history of a red rash with small blisters. Diabetics may also get this sort of pain, but more commonly get it in the “stocking and glove” locations.

9

I have the pain and burning also. My doctor called it paresthesia. He said the cause is unknown, but could be related to pinched nerves in the back.

10

Thanks everyone. Actually, I have to go and see an internal medicine doctor tomorrow for a totally unrelated reason, but I will mention it and see what he suggests I do.

11

I second the advice of Dr_Paprika. I had a very similar pain, and numbness likewise, from sciatica: referred pain in the thigh from a ‘trapped nerve’ in the back. Get it checked out by a doctor.

12

A common cause, perhaps the most common cause, of skin pain on the thigh is meralgia paresthetica, also known as lateral femoral cutaneous nerve syndrome.

Here’s a link and here’s another.

13

I have the same thing. In my case, the doc said it was a pinched nerve. I also occasionally get a weird streak of pain across the top of my toes. The doc said that was a pinched nerve too.