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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIn most cases, your doctor can make a diagnosis of meralgia paresthetica based on your medical history and a physical examination. He or she may touch the affected leg, ask you to describe the pain, and ask you to trace out the specific location of the numb or painful area on your leg.
In order to rule out other conditions, your doctor may recommend:
- X-ray imaging. This diagnostic tool uses electromagnetic radiation to make images of your hip and pelvic area.
- Electromyography (EMG). This test measures the electrical discharges produced in muscles to help evaluate and diagnose muscle and nerve disorders. During the test, a thin needle electrode is placed into the muscle to record electrical activity. This test is normal in meralgia paresthetica, but may be needed to exclude other disorders when the diagnosis isn't clear.
- Nerve conduction study. In this test, patch-style electrodes are placed on your skin to stimulate the nerve with a mild electrical impulse. The electrical impulse helps diagnose damaged nerves.
- NINDS meralgia paresthetica information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/meralgia_paresthetica/meralgia_paresthetica.htm. Accessed Nov. 13, 2008.
- Burning thigh pain (meralgia paresthetica). American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00340. Accessed Nov. 13, 2008.
- Anderson BC, et al. Meralgia paresthetica (lateral femoral cutaneous nerve entrapment). http://www.uptodate.com/jhome/index.html. Accessed Nov. 13, 2008.
- Swanson, J. (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 3, 2008.
- Compressive Structural Disorders. In: Goetz CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/114781964-3/786370418/1488/264.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3618-0..10029-3--s0310_1872. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Diseases of the Peripheral Nerves: Mononeuropathy, Mononeuropathy Multiplex, and Plexopathy. In: Ropper AH et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 8th ed. Boston, Mass.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=979659&searchStr=mononeuropathies. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Aminoff MJ et al. Nervous System Disorders: Peripheral Neuropathies. In: McPhee SJ et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2009. 48th ed. San Francisco, Calif.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=13195. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
