Hi- I haven't been on here in a while, but I thought this may be interesting, after 25 years of living with PN- I've developed topical and deeper syx on my right outer thigh. Piercing, ripping, burning, itching- you name it. It sometimes feels as if my skin is being flayed off of me
or I'm being scalped on my leg.
This has been going on for about 12 mos.
I have a new neurologist who feels it may be lower back nerves being pinched, so I get epidural injections 2 x or so per year for Sciatica, but he now gives me epidural in different area for the thigh. Hasn't seemed to help much.
I also have developed 'stocking' syndrome(?). Both feet feel as if they are wrapped tightly(to the point of squeeze hurt and numbness) with an Ace type bandage. Feet are not swollen or discolored but feel so.
Any observations? Similar Syx? Successful treatments?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Welcome back,Bob!

I am on a tablet in bed and it will be easier on my desktop downstairs. So I will answer better tomorrow.

Sounds like MP..which I had ..yes very painful and mine was from a C section surgery.

I've had two falls on stairs so I don't use them late at night when
I am shakey.

Hip Pain in Athletes - American Family Physician

This link is very good for illustrating MP:

Illlustration 2B shows this nerve well.

This nerve comes out of the L4 or L5 (there are variations for this anatomy) , enters the back of the abdomen and exits in the upper thigh under a tight ligament.

Tight belts, tight clothing (sitting in tight pants/jeans), invasive procedures, arthritis and spurring in the lower back , surgeries etc.

This is our MP forum...it is not really busy so it is easy to find posts there. MP only affects sensation on the side of the thigh across the front. It does not serve the back of the leg .
or affect motor nerves. But it does arise from the same area of the spine.
https://www.neurotalk.org/forum76/

I avoided surgery for it, and drug therapies. Lidoderm patches finally became available, and I tried those with great success.
I placed 1/2 patch at the top of the thigh where the nerve exits the abdomen and after daily use for 2 weeks, the nerve turned off and I have had a remission since then. Heat, from any source will set it off again, so avoid hot tubs and heating pads.

Today there are new Lidocaine patches OTC with 4% lidocaine in them (that is 1% less than the Rx ones). You can try yourself using them or using the cream/lotion at that ligament area to see if it will work for you too. Aspercreme Lidocaine and Icy Hot now make the OTC lidocaine. They are relatively new. I use the OTC versions now BTW for many PN issues.

I am going to bring up another thing. Invasive spinal injections can be problematic. Your treatment for the sciatica may have injured the lining of the spinal cord. It is possible that the epidurals damaged the spinal cord, so you can Google that.
I'd recommend that you demand to see the drug container used for your epidurals. Do you recall the horrible situation about the compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts which manufactured generic Medrol injection under non sterile conditions and many people were injected with fungal spores and many died and others permanently damaged. Doctors bought this product to save money and ended up in a huge mess.

I am so sorry you are suffering so... Glenn has had some MP issues too, so you might PM him for his experiences.

Thanks for the info Mrs. D.
I seem to be dealing with awful groin pain which appears might be the iliopsoas bursa for over a year now. I had hip X-rays of both hips ordered by my PM last year; no arthritis found. My GP thinks this could be caused by the iliopsoas bursa because of the area I indicate my pain coming from.

I have "potty"issues(rectal cancer) along with pain meds so some frequent straining daily aggravate it. (I take Miralax daily.)
Right now I am sitting with ice packs between both groin areas (left is worse) which seems to help. My GP suggested the possibility of getting guided injections into the bursa which I have not had done. Not even sure who to see since my GP did mention a physiotherapist could possibly do the injections into the iliopsoas bursa.

PT is problematic since former lumbar spine fusion, ventral incisional (3) hernias repaired a year and half ago, along with PN would aggravate many of the conditions; especially the large additional incision after the hernia surgery. Also deal with abdominal pain since the surgery. Actually the hernia repair and groin pain seem to happen shortly after the surgery. I checked with the surgeon last month thinking the hernias may have recurred. He said they hadn't.

I was interested in your mentioning having used the Lidoderm patch in the upper thigh/abdominal area. Do you think the nerve problem you were dealing with could possibly be connected to the iliopsoas bursa area as the culprit???

I'm afraid this post appears to be all over the place and may be a bit confusing. Just reaching for any possible alternatives.

Thanks for any suggestions/input.


Gerry

p.s.
Part of Mrs. D response "hit home"....Apologize for cutting into the thread.

Mrs. D, I would like to try the 4% lidocaine patches for my PIN. Would you please give me your recommendation as to which brand to buy. I have tried to research it but am confused with so many different opinions. I want something I could put on the top of my foot and on the outside of my shin. Also, is it best to get the ones with or without menthol, and are there any that are transparent in color?

Rosie, I suggest you start with the lotion/cream first.
This is the website for the Aspercreme lotion/cream:
Aspercreme Pain Relieving Cremes and Gels: Pain Relieving Creme with Lidocaine

Here is the website for the Aspercreme version of the patches:

Aspercreme Pain Relieving Cremes and Gels: Pain Relieving Creme with Lidocaine

These have aqueous ingredients in the gel portion in the patches. Similar to the Rx version, and this gel is not a good adhesive and the weakest
aspect of the patches.

The foot and lower leg would need good contact so I would use the cream/lotion. Also where you feel the pain may not be the pain generator. Your foot may be referring from your ankle or knee. The Salonpas Lidocaine, Icy Hot are other versions and you can look those up yourself.

I don't think there is a transparent patch for lidocaine.

We use the Aspercreme brand Lidocaine cream and I find it very effective, inexpensive and easy to apply.

Rosie,

As MrsD said, the pain in your foot may be referring from another area...like the knee. Keep in mind that much of pain from PN comes from the spine, so applying the patch in different locations (including the lower back) may be helpful.

Also, have you seen a podiatrist? I have PN in my feet but new pain on top of my right foot was getting bad and seemed uncharacteristic of PN. But I wasn't sure, so went to a podiatrist. After simple xrays in the office, it appears my entire foot is collapsing...literally. So, if you are not sure what is causing your pain, or the patches don't help even when placed in various locations, consider seeing a podiatrist. It might be something different, all together. Just a thought.