Cruralgia is pain felt along the front of the thigh. This type of pain can be caused by multiple nervous, joint or abdominal pathologies. There is medical treatment for the majority of them and you should therefore not hesitate to consult your doctor, especially in the event of pain that tends to persist or worsen. Natural advice or grandmother's remedies to relieve cruralgia are therefore established on a case-by-case basis: they depend on the origin of the pain.
What is cruralgia?
The cruralgie is a medical term to define pain located in the crural nerve territory, which is located at the front of the thigh or in its anterior region. It is often confused with sciatica, due to the location of the affected nerve. “The crural region has many structures. Pain in this area can come from damage to organs, joints, bones or muscles.explains Dr Adrien Manderlier, from the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Vaud University Hospital Center. “Many diagnoses have cruralgia as a symptom. It is not a condition that can be generalized, just like advice for relieving pain”.
THE causes of cruralgia are very numerous: hip osteoarthritis, nerve root damage, inguinal hernia, urinary calculus or visceral disease including the ovaries in women.
The methods for relieving pain are therefore different depending on the cause of the problems.
How to quickly treat cruralgia (pain, burning, etc.)?
If pain appears at the level of the crural nerve, at the front of the thigh, a consultation with your doctor is necessary to determine the cause of cruralgia. It can be of digestive origin, in the case of inguinal hernia for example. Its cause may be nervous : “the pain will then be similar to widespread burning sensations, electric shocks or tingling on the skin. Cruralgia linked to a mechanical pathology, such as hip osteoarthritis for example, is rather characterized by deep, dull pain, accentuated with effort..
This is why the advice and grandmother's remedies are very different depending on the origin of the cruralgie. “For example, in cases of cruralgia, we cannot generally recommend staying active. The pain caused by an inguinal hernia is so severe that it requires rest. Walking would be too painful for the patient, so this advice is not valid in this case. Giving general advice could delay the diagnosis and be of disservice to patients.”.
So here are some grandmother's remedies to explore, only if you know the cause of your cruralgia, after having received a medical diagnosis.
How to unblock the crural nerve?
In certain cases, it is possible to unblock the crural nerve. “In case of meralgia paresthetica, a condition characterized by irritation of the femoral nerve in the groin fold, stretching is of benefit. THE hip stretches can help restore mobility to the trapped nerve. Sometimes the marche also helps to “unblock” the crural nerve. Other times, it will simply be enough to loosen the belt ! In certain specific situations, targeted infiltrations can relieve pain. continues the specialist doctor.
How to relieve crural nerve pain: with hot or cold?
In the musculoskeletal area, the question of hot and cold has no consensus if we want to remain general. “We leave the preference to the patient, some prefer a hot bath, while others will be relieved by the application of an ice pack. Often, I advise starting with the application of heat, with, for example, a cushion filled with cherry pits heated in the microwave, for 20 minutes. If the heat has no effect on the painful area, the cold pack or cold gel compress can have an analgesic effect on the cruralgia. Be sure to wrap the cold pack in a towel to avoid cold burn. The application of heat or cold has no contraindications. The effects on well-being depend above all on the sensitivity of the patient”explains the doctor.
Massages to relieve neuralgia
The cream massagesuch as l’arnica for example, is more effective in relieving cruralgia linked to musculotendinous damage, for example psoas tendinitis or hip osteoarthritis. “On the other hand, massage is not indicated in cases of inguinal hernia. In the typical case of hip osteoarthritis, patients lack mobility and are often a little stiff. Massage and passive mobilization by a therapist can do good and help them regain some mobility in the pelvis.”adds Dr Adrien Manderlier.
Cruralgia: what stretching exercises?
Once again, the types of stretches recommended depend on the individual patient and the etiology of the crural neuralgia. “In cases of hip osteoarthritis, we can recommend stretching exercises to do at home. The type of exercise prescribed will depend on the person's age and physical abilities.
Natural treatments: acupuncture, osteopathy or chiropractic
L’acupuncture has interesting effects on cruralgia. “Acupuncture or dry needling is a practice that I am happy to integrate, as long as it is in agreement with the patient. The rare contraindications to acupuncture are blood clotting diseases. This technique consists of releasing tension using needles measuring 1 to 5 cm long. Dry needling helps relieve deep contractures in muscles or joints. “Osteopathy and chiropractic are also natural therapies with certain benefits. Whether it is acupuncture, osteopathy or chiropractic, these techniques generally help relieve muscle and nerve pain.
Relaxation techniques
THE relaxation techniques have their place in the complementary treatment of cruralgia, in particular self-hypnosis. “Hypnosis and self-hypnosis aim to help the patient focus less on the pain and are therefore of great interest to people suffering from chronic pain.
What to do against cruralgia: electrical stimulation
In patients who present with crural neuralgia of neurological or nervous origin, the transcutaneous electrical stimulation techniques or TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) are sometimes useful to combat pain. “Electrical stimulation is often performed by a physiotherapist. One or two sessions are most of the time necessary to assess the effectiveness of the treatment. The use of the machine can then be taught to the patient and it is possible, in Switzerland, to rent it at reasonable costs. specifies Dr. Manderlier.
Which anti-inflammatory?
Generally speaking, the taking anti-inflammatory can relieve cruralgia. “The main thing is to observe the contraindications to this medication. Anti-inflammatories should be avoided in cases of digestive ulcers, severe heart or kidney disease. It is generally preferable not to use them after the age of 65. Anti-inflammatories are sometimes prescribed with gastric protectants.
Ces drugs will be useful in reducing symptoms but will rarely be curative.
Medical and surgical remedies
Against the crurale nevralgie, treatment must be implemented once the cause is found. Painkillers are often prescribed, particularly in the acute phase. “The basic analgesic is paracetamol. In the event of hip osteoarthritis, we may resort to surgery to install a prosthesis, for example. Surgical intervention may also be necessary in cases of hernia. Intense pain can be relieved with corticosteroid infiltration..
Everything will depend on the cause once again, for example hip osteoarthritis may benefit from conservative rehabilitative treatment with physiotherapy, self-exercises and intra-articular infiltrations in order to postpone a possible arthroplasty surgery (hip prosthesis). A symptomatic inguinal hernia must, however, be quickly and well assessed by imaging. It will probably require an intervention with the installation of a net. As for nerve pain, everything will depend on the location of the irritation: we will prefer as often as possible a conservative treatment (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, infiltrations) before resorting to surgery.
