Pain and numbness in left thigh

bubs999

For the last few years I've had an issue with my left leg. It started off as numbness after a couple of hours sat in the car. This has progressed on to numbness and pain in my thigh, going through the knee and up into my glute.

I've been going to the gym and doing core strength work (squats, overhead press, bench press and dead lifts). This does help a little, but it doesn't take long for the issue to start again.

My research has led me to ITB issues, but no matter what I do, I can't get rid of the pain. My leg is very sensitive to touch, sharp stabbing pain in the thigh, if I even brush against something with that leg.

I also suffer lower back pain, which is getting better with a chiropractor and regular exercise.

For work I spend a lot of time in a car, driving for up to 9 hours a day. Occupational health just advise regular breaks, get out and stretch, which isn't always possible, as I go from one job to another some days.

So I'm looking for any tips or advice from people, or anyone who's had the same issue?

I'm 40 years old and reasonably fit

andy1249

Ive got a mother in law recovering from major surgery right now that had exactly the same symptoms as you.
Likewise she had recurring back pain ( theater nurse for 40 years ) and developed numbness in her legs.
Turns out a disc was pressing against her spinal cord.
Shes left it too long and now may have permanent nerve damage.

Forget about the Chiropractor ( who may well be aggravating the situation ) and get an appointment with a consultant and have an MRI done on your back.
This needs to be done , if it turns out to be a similar issue it needs to be sorted or there is a wheelchair in your future.

bubs999

Sorry, knew I'd miss something out! I've had around 3 MRI's in the last 5 or 6 years, they all show exactly the same, just normal wear and tear for my age  no disc damage or anything like that

djpaulc247

I was having a lot of trouble with my left leg and lower back earlier this year, I was in chronic pain most days in the whole leg and hip area and it was really getting me down.  I found a good physio who does a lot of muscle manipulation and acupuncture which has really helped but I also read up a lot and found that most people with this kind of problem can find that the hip flexors are to blame, especially if you sit for a lot of the day.  

I just began watching youtube videos on how to stretch the hip flexors and now do this daily and, touch wood, rarely have problems now.  Look for some videos on how to stretch the hip flexors and give it a go for a couple of weeks and see how you get on.  

The human body isn't designed to sit all day long but unfortunately, that's what most of us do!

bubs999

I'll give it a go. Found a great video for instant relief of lower back pain

djpaulc247

Yeah this guy's great, I've watched loads of his videos in the past as I had a really bad shoulder impingement a while ago. He really knows his stuff and offers really good advice.

PSM1

I was going to mention hip flexors as well as that is an issue I have that causes back pain from time to time.
I have another friend who had issues with her legs (pain and loss of power when cycling). They thought it may have been an issue with the artery being crushed in the thigh/hip area from sitting on the bike. In the end it was a hernia that was pressing on the wrong bits. A simple operation to fix the hernia seemed to solve the problem.

Lostsoul 301281

The lower back pain and issues with leg pain sound like sciatica.
I’ve suffered with it for about 15 years.
I’ve been through several different types of physio. Been on pain medication.
I’ve even paid for private osteopath treatment(about the only thing that helped with my general back pain).

I find it hard to exercise as even spending a few hours walking around something like comic con can trigger severe pain relating to my sciatica.

Dr Bawbag

Just for your information, MRI's etc don't always pick up disc bulges in the back nor facet joint issues (small stabilising joints found on your vertebrates).  I had right sided issues similar to your own.  Over the course of 8 years i had numerous scans and like yourself, nothing showed up.  It was all in my head.  Then about 3 years ago I went for yet another MRI and a small disc bulge finally showed up. Due to the length of time it took to find it, my back problems had become chronic and as such, I will always have back issues. Small bulges can be worse than large ones simply because your body attempts to repair the damage if it's severe enough, whilst small bulges your body doesn't see it as an issue.

I strongly advise that you keep pushing for answers because once something becomes chronic in your back, you will always have issues.

Mart22

Sounds like Meralgia Parasthetica to me. Tight belt and/or belly may cause it, Aggravated by sitting and sometimes exercise. Look it up

How is it now?