About two years ago I started to notice a slight tingling/burning in my left outer thigh. It got a little bit worse when I had keys, cell phone, etc. in my left pocket. As of the past few months, I've noticed a numbness in my outer thigh. I feel pressure, and can feel touch when it's hard i.e. pinching. I think it's gotten worse because I have a job where I stand for 10-12 hours a shift.

I don't have any pain at all, just the numbness in the outer thigh. I'm curious what I should do?

I have had MP for over 30 years. It is diagnosed by history and exam. It does not show up on nerve conduction tests or EMG's since it involves a sensory nerve. Prolonged standing and walking will usually exacerbate the symptoms. For years mine was just an intermittent annoyance with brief pain but would immediately subside upon sitting. It has progressed to severe levels with constant pain at various fluctuating levels. It forced me out of the workforce. Some people have it go away on its own but rarely if you have had it for over a year or more. I would suggest that you take action before it gets worse especially if you are in a work situation that involves prolonged standing.

Feel free to contact me at any time as there are not many still around and active with MP. There are a few and very helpful but it is a small number in comparison to the other conditions on Neuro.

I did physical therapy (aqua), oral medications, lidoderm patches, Tens unit, nerve blocks, etc.

I would seek help from a neurologist and/or a pain management specialist. I would not spend too much time with general practitioners as they are not usually familiar with the condition. They may want to do x-rays, or an MRI to rule out radiculopathy or other possible conditions, which is a very good idea.

I would not just ignore it and hope it goes away as the longer you are untreated, the more damage to the nerve and the more the LFCN nerve will affect your life. Sometimes the cause may be something you can modify, or it may be of unknown origin. Mrs. D has lots of advice on supplements that may be of help. Glenn is a great wealth of info. He has been a tremendous help to me.

I agree with you, Hopeless. Get a handle on what is aggravating the nerves, the standing. I would go so far as to find another job. The long term cure if that is possible is to avoid aggravating it and hopefully it heals on its own.

In the meantime I would take lots of high quality vitamins, especially B vitamins and B12 (methylcobalamin) which are good for nerves and use horse liniment which is cheaper than the human stuff but still the same thing (capsaicin). Capsaicin temporarily wears out pain receptors. And exercise to get the blood flowing and taking nutrients to the site to heal and taking waste away.

I have been struggling with mine for a year from sitting and now I am determined to work harder on healing. I stand up multiple times a day now and that could help you--sitting multiple times a day. Good luck.

Also it could be your clothing. I would switch to looser under garments and pants.

Another thing is I am a firm believer in training the mind. Apparently the brain can get into the habit of feeling pain when there is no pain. I would watch neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran on **.to see him explain getting rid of pain from phantom limbs. I am hopeful that with capsaicin that wearing out the pain receptors can teach the brain that the nerve is healed.

Also you could stop carrying stuff in your pocket. The weight could be adding pressure to the nerve or dragging the pants down and adding pressure to the nerve that way. You could wear overalls.

And I would stay away from sugar. Diabetics have a difficult time with neuropathy and I found a doctor online with diabetes addicted to sugar who said sugar is a poison.

I wear men's boxer/briefs (Hanes Men's tagless Boxer Briefs with ComfortSoft Waistband )

and though they're not tight around the thighs, the holes in the underwear for the legs happen to be right about where my thigh gets irritated. Maybe I need new underwear?

Yes, definitely new underwear. I had briefs that cut into my nerve and switched. I hadn't realized it could be a problem but it seems to help. And wearing loose pants.

Another thing is sleeping and sitting position, keeping the legs straight could help.

Are you using Capsacin "patches" now? How are they working for you?

If you can find the "cause" of your MP, you will be way ahead as some things can be altered and the nerve will heal. Tight clothing, being overweight, etc. can be factors and are things that can be changed.

My MP is a result of damage to the (LFCN) nerve and compression by a ligament that was a result of abdominal surgery. Something that I can not change but I do wear loose clothing to prevent any additional irritation of the nerve from any external forces.

Gosh, I posted and seemed to lose it in the ether so just in case:

No, I'm using capsaicin cream which seems to work so I'm going to use it more often. And I just bought capsaicin pads online and may try lidocaine pads too.

What also helps me is B12 methylcobalamin 5mg which I pop like candy. There's a lady online who says she cured her neuropathy with high doses of B vitamins. I take extra magnesium because according to the US Department of Health over half of Americans are deficient. Magnesium relaxes me. And I used to exercise in the mornings for the endorphins which are a more powerful pain reliever than morphine, which did help so I will start exercising again. Thank you everyone for contributing to this forum and for helping me stay motivated.

That is US Department of Agriculture not Department of Health. I take a good multivitamin too and try to get lots of sleep.