Hi. I am here on behalf of my husband. About 5 years ago he told me his front thigh was numb. I thought he was weird. This went on for years. 2 years ago he said your not going to believe this, I am getting feeling back. But it hurts like pins and needles. I said it's a pinched nerve. With in a couple months it turned to pain. Pain in his hip. Pain in his butt. Pain when he walks, esp up stairs. Pain worsened by pretty much everything. His Dr did some tests, I did some research, we both agreed he had piroformis syndrome. She put him on gabapentin , She referred him to a physical therapist. He gave up after 3 visits the pain was much worse and he felt like it was spreading to his back and other leg. The pills don't help at all. She then referred him to a Spine and Wellness center. They did a test ( not a dr so not sure on name ) that electrocuted him. Diagnosed him with MP. Told him it was his belt and belly doing it. It has been 3 weeks since the diagnoses. He wears a cloth like belt now, or elastic shorts. He was brought in monday for a PNB. This is where things don't seem right. He said the Dr walked in and said why are you here. Then said oh yeah I know what I am going to do. He had my hubby pull down his pants to expose by his groin/hip. They mixed together a small clear and small pink bottle. They will only tell him it's a numbing agent and depo mendrol. ( sp? ) He felt around for a min with his hand and then injected the needle. My husband felt a very small pinch. He said ok done. How do you feel ? My husband said o.k. I didn't feel a thing. DR says ok, If it turns red or starts oozing go to the ER that means I hit your artery. My husband stands up says when is it supposed to start working ? Dr says you will know by morning. Tues afternoon he was in worse pain. He called the office and they said no, you'll know in 10-14 days. I asked my sister who works in a Dr's office if that sounded right and her Dr's said no it should have been instant. We are in need of advice. Does this sound right ? There was no Ultra sound thing either. Just Dr and his hands.

I will put some comments within your post to save time.


I guess you are confused. There is a lot in your post that does not sound right.

Peripial nerve block ....i dont know how to spell was hoping abbreviation would work. Does it sound like the Dr did it right ? And is 10-14 days normal for effect of the nerve block.

I can certainly understand your confusion. Let me see if I can shed a little light on the matter.

MP is damage to a specific nerve, the LFCN, lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, which is a sensory nerve. It affects the thigh area only. Also, no motor function involved. NO back pain either.

Pain in other areas indicate either a mis-diagnosis or MP PLUS another problem.

A nerve block is sometimes used for MP. An injection is made in the abdomen with or without the aid of ultrasound. In some cases, immediate relief may be felt but it is very common for several days, possibly a week or two, before relief may be felt. In some cases, there is NO relief for various reasons.

One injection may not be sufficient and several follow-up injections may be needed.

However, it appears that your husband has more than MP. The only location he would possibly feel relief from the injection would be in his thigh area based on the information you provided.

A very skillful anesthesiologist may be able to inject the LFCN without the aid of ultrasound and other physicians may feel ultrasound is needed.

The comment that the physician made about "maybe hitting an artery" would make me run and find another doctor.

Just my opinion. Feel free to ask any questions you like and I will try to give you answers from my perspective.

Best wishes to you and your husband. If he is having back pain and pain in his hip and back of his leg, he needs to find the root of the problem. Maybe an MRI would be an option to see if the problem is stemming from the spine area.

He could possibly have multiple issues simultaneously and the only one diagnosed to date is his MP.

Yes, I do agree with Hopeless. Find another doctor. Flippant remarks like that are very worrisome.

I guess I should of added prior to going to spine place his Dr had xrays and MRI done on his back and hip. They found nothing and she was at a loss so sent him to the spine place. I have always strongly felt it's piroformis. At the time his troubles started he worked in a warehouse driving a forklift that required him to stand and twist. After looking up Mp after he was diagnosed I felt this can't be just it. I wondered if possibly him trying to adjust himself to take pain from hip, butt, leg if he possibly caused MP. The pain is horrible and getting worse. It is to the point he can barely walk without having to stop every 3 minutes to rest. Work is hard for him, he had to hire a helper. (landscaping) Adult activities are no more.... if you catch my drift..It's just far to painful for him. Long walks ( store, fair, etc ) no more. He walks with a limp, limp gets worse the more he walks. Sorry if I am ranting, trying to give you an idea of his pain level. The pain sits in his lower back left side. When he walks it is like severe ripping pain down his butt, hip and back of thigh's. It started left side only but now it goes down both sides. Numbness, pins and needles in front left thigh, always there. Thank you all for replies. I will ask him to request a different Dr. if he goes back. Also ask him to press something else is wrong. There are 5 other anesthesiologist's there. He also said before the Dr came in he could here him talking loud and cursing in the other room as if he was on phone arguing. Also when he first went in and met him he said " oh your one of those low Maintenance guys " to my husband, and the nurse laughed. I tried to quick relpy but it didnt seem to work, but if by some chance after I post this it goes through I pre apoligize for double posting. ( I did add to this post though )