The outer thigh muscles hurt when I walk

Pain in the outer thigh muscles when walking not only affects the beauty of walking posture, but also affects health and pain. There are many reasons for this situation, such as strenuous exercise, excessive fatigue, sprains, strains, inflammatory stimulation, mental pressure, and even lumbar disease. Next, let us take a closer look at some of the factors that cause this situation and effective relief and treatment measures. Everyone must carefully understand them in detail so that targeted treatment can be provided.

There is a high possibility of lumbar disc herniation. It is recommended that you go to the hospital for diagnosis and symptomatic treatment.

Lumbar disc herniation is one of the more common diseases. It is mainly caused by different degrees of degenerative changes in the various parts of the lumbar disc (nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus and cartilage plate), especially the nucleus pulposus. Under the influence of external factors, the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc ruptures, and the nucleus pulposus tissue protrudes (or falls out) from the rupture to the back or inside the spinal canal, causing the adjacent spinal nerve roots to be stimulated or compressed, resulting in a series of clinical symptoms such as low back pain, numbness and pain in one or both lower limbs. The highest incidence of lumbar disc herniation is at L4-5 and L5-S1, accounting for about 95%.

Clinical manifestations

1. Symptoms

1. Low back pain

It is the first symptom that occurs in most patients, with an incidence of about 91%. Because the outer layer of the annulus fibrosus and the posterior longitudinal ligament are stimulated by the nucleus pulposus, induced pain in the lower back is produced through the vertebral nerve, sometimes accompanied by buttocks pain.

2. Radiating pain in the lower limbs

Although high-level lumbar disc herniation (L2-3, L3-4) can cause femoral neuralgia, it is rare in clinical practice, accounting for less than 5%. The vast majority of patients have herniation between L4 and 5, or L5 and S1, and present with sciatica. Typical sciatica is pain that radiates from the lower back to the buttocks, back of the thigh, outer side of the calf to the foot. The pain is aggravated by increased abdominal pressure due to sneezing and coughing. The radiating pain is mostly on one side of the limbs, and only a very small number of patients with central or paracentral nucleus pulposus herniation show symptoms in both lower limbs. There are three causes of sciatica: ① The ruptured intervertebral disc produces chemical stimulation and autoimmune reactions, causing chemical inflammation of the nerve roots; ② The protruding nucleus pulposus compresses or stretches the inflamed nerve roots, blocking their venous return, further aggravating edema and increasing sensitivity to pain; ③ The compressed nerve roots are ischemic. The above three factors are interrelated and aggravate each other.

3. Cauda equina symptoms

The nucleus pulposus protruding to the rear or the prolapsed and free intervertebral disc tissue compresses the cauda equina, which mainly manifests as difficulty in defecation and urination, and abnormal sensation in the perineum and perianal area. In severe cases, symptoms such as incontinence and incomplete paralysis of both lower limbs may occur, which are rare in clinical practice.

prevention

Lumbar disc herniation is caused by accumulated injuries based on degenerative changes, and the accumulated injuries will aggravate the degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Therefore, the focus of prevention is to reduce accumulated injuries. You should maintain a good sitting posture at ordinary times, and the bed should not be too soft when sleeping. People who work at a desk for a long time need to pay attention to the height of the table and chair and change their posture regularly. People who need to bend over frequently in their jobs should stretch their waists and chests regularly, and use a wide belt. The training of the waist and back muscles should be strengthened to increase the intrinsic stability of the spine. Those who use waist belts for a long time should pay special attention to the training of the waist and back muscles to prevent the adverse consequences of disuse muscle atrophy. If you need to bend over to pick up something, it is best to flex your hips and knees and squat to reduce pressure on the back of the lumbar disc.