Burning Thigh Pain

The nerves running throughout your body work to bring information to the brain in regards to the environment (sensory nerves) and the messages stemming from the brain and spinal cord to help activate your muscles (motor nerves). In order to accomplish this, the nerves need to pass over, around, through and under the bones, joints and muscles. Most of the time, there is enough room for the message to pass through with ease. Trauma, pressure and swelling all end up narrowing the openings and squeeze the nerves. In that situation, paralysis, pain and other dysfunctions could result.

Causes of Burning Thigh Pain

The causes of burning thigh pain include a trapped nerve in the spine, a hip joint problem, trochanteric bursitis (a swelling on the outside of the hip), or referred pain from the sacro-iliac joint (located where your spine meets your pelvis).

Burning Thigh Pain Anatomy

An individual who has leg pain will often struggle with discomfort in the leg structures. Burning thigh pain can occur anywhere around front, inside or outside part of the thigh. The pain can travel below the knee.

How to Treat Burning Thigh Pain:

1. Physical therapy

Manual or physiotherapy is one of the best courses of action to take for burning thigh pain. Your therapist will attempt to identify the cause of the pain, and where exactly the nerve is trapped. Once you know where the nerve is trapped, treatment can be tailored to you as an individual. Treatment may be focused around the spine, pelvis, hip, or even the further afield (e.g. as low as the foot or further up the spine) if your therapist feels the cause is from a problem here.

2. Stop Sitting!

Reducing the time spent sitting can have a noticeable difference on your symptoms. And avoid crossing your legs for a few weeks to see if your symptoms improve. Exercise helps, so it’s safe to walk swim or cycle in most cases.

3. Lose weight

Instances exist where the individual may have an excess amount of weight that is causing the pain in the thigh. Losing as little as 10 percent of your body weight can help resolve a number of health issues, which can help to alleviate the pain and discomfort in your thigh.

4. Wear loose clothing

Clothing that restricts the blood flow in your body can cause problems with the joints, muscles, bones and nerves. It's one thing to wear form-fitting clothing, but you want to avoid clothing that constricts normal movement.

5. Avoid aggravating activities

If you find that an activity is causing the pain to worsen, you want to refrain from participating in that activity as much as possible. Too much or too intense of an activity will only aggravate the area and cause more problems for an already constricted joint or muscle.

6. Avoid wearing a corset or girdle

When you wear a corset or girdle, it causes the nerves to become restricted and blood flow is prohibited. If the blood cannot flow freely, the burning sensation will set in and cause a restriction in movement.

7. Tool belts are not advised

Instead of wearing a tool belt, try putting all of your tools in a toolbox. Adding all of that extra pressure around your waist and middle section will cause issues with blood flow. You want to minimize the amount of weight that your body is trying to carry at any one point in time.

8. Corticosteroid injections

In severe cases, an injection or corticosteroid can help to reduce inflammation. Once the inflammation is reduced, the symptoms will be relieved for a period of time. 

9. Surgery

In rare instances, you may need surgery to help release the nerve and allow the blood to flow freely.

Tips:

1. Avoid putting too much stress on any one joint.
2. Losing weight can help to alleviate pain and pressure on the nerves.
3. Those who have suffered with a previous leg injury are more susceptible to getting additional injuries in the same limb.
4. Refrain from drinking alcohol to minimize the chance of burning thigh pain.
5. Diabetics need to pay special attention to any symptoms that present themselves.