What is the pain at the junction of the thigh and lower abdomen?

Pain in the part where the legs and lower abdomen are connected is mostly sciatica or sciatica inflammation. In the early stage of the disease, it is severe pain at the beginning, and finally turns into slow pain. The pain is relatively continuous, and it may occur for several minutes or even 60 minutes. It requires reasonable rest to relieve. Pay attention to check the cause and treat it on a daily basis.

The pain of sciatica is most severe in the first 5 to 10 days of the disease, and then it will subside and gradually return to normal after 6 to 8 weeks.

Adjunctive therapy

When pain occurs, you can apply ice to the affected area for 30-60 minutes, several times a day, for two to three consecutive days, and then apply a hot water bottle to the affected area at the same interval. You can also take over-the-counter painkillers such as indomethacin.

Before going to bed every day, use a hot towel or hot salt wrapped in cloth to compress your waist or buttocks. The temperature should not be too high, just comfortable.

Prevention tips

Many patients with sciatica can clearly describe that the onset of the disease is related to a sudden "sprain" of the waist, such as when lifting heavy objects, bending over for a long time or falling. Therefore, before performing sudden weight-bearing movements, the waist should be moved in advance to avoid "sprain" of the waist as much as possible. Usually, more exercises to strengthen the lumbar muscles and improving the humid living environment can often reduce the incidence of this disease. Patients with this disease should seek medical attention in time during the acute phase, rest in bed, and cooperate closely with diagnosis and treatment. The prognosis is usually good.

Precautions

Rest on a hard bed and do bed exercises.

We should combine work and rest, live a regular life, and participate in various sports activities appropriately.

After exercise, you should pay attention to protecting your waist and affected limbs. Change your underwear in time if it is wet with sweat to prevent the wet clothes from being dried on your body. It is not advisable to take a shower immediately after sweating. Wait until the sweat falls off before taking a shower to prevent catching cold or wind.

During the acute pain period, do not pick up weights heavier than 10 pounds (1 pound = 0.9072 catties) and do not use your legs, hips, and back to lift weights. You can push but do not pull weights.

In order to avoid pulling the sciatic nerve and relieve pain, patients often have some special pain-relieving postures, such as sleeping on the healthy side, slightly bending the hip and knee of the lower limb on the affected side, supporting with the buttocks of the healthy side when sitting down, moving the center of gravity of the body to the healthy side when standing, and bending the knee of the affected limb when bending over to pick up things. Over time, scoliosis will occur, mostly bending toward the diseased side. Any test that pulls the sciatic nerve can induce or aggravate pain. There may be obvious tenderness at various points along the sciatic nerve pathway: such as beside the lumbar vertebrae, which is equivalent to Huantiao, Weizhong point, below the fibular head on the outside of the ankle joint and in the center of the sole of the foot. In addition to pain, there are tingling and numbness on the outside of the calf and the dorsum of the foot. The muscles of the back of the thigh and calf are soft and weak, and there is mild muscle atrophy over time.

For secondary sciatica, the cause must be found out first, including whether there is a history of tuberculosis, trauma, tumor, etc., and go to the hospital for a comprehensive systemic examination. Women should undergo a gynecological examination to find out the primary lesion. X-rays are of great significance in identifying the cause. Lumbar puncture and angiography may be considered for a few patients when necessary. The treatment of secondary sciatica is first to eliminate the cause, such as anti-inflammatory, surgical removal of tumors, etc. In the acute phase, you should rest on a hard bed. When the pain is severe, you should give painkillers and appropriate sedatives. In the early stages of sciatica, anti-inflammatory analgesics such as piroxicam and indomethacin can be given. Adrenal cortex hormones can also be used for a short period of time. Oral or intramuscular injection of B vitamins, keep the affected lower limb warm, and cooperate with acupuncture, physical therapy, body therapy and massage. The pain of sciatica is most severe within the first 5 to 10 days of the disease, and it will be relieved and gradually return to normal after 6 to 8 weeks.

How can patients with sciatica exercise?

Patients with sciatica often reduce their activities for fear of pain, which is not conducive to the treatment of the disease. Patients should follow the principle of "exercise to the best of their ability and in moderation" to exercise, especially the exercise of the lower limbs on the affected side. Slow walking, jogging, and ball games can be performed, and special gymnastics are more beneficial.

Supine gymnastics: The patient lies on his back, flexes his legs alternately, then straightens his legs alternately, and then lifts his legs upward alternately. At the beginning, the angle of the affected lower limb can be smaller than that of the healthy lower limb. After continuous exercise, the angle of the affected lower limb can be gradually increased.

Sitting gymnastics: The patient sits on the edge of the bed or on a chair with his legs hanging down, heels on the ground, toes raised, hands flat on the legs, and then gradually bends forward after sitting, pushing his hands towards his feet. When first practicing, his hands may only be able to reach the calves, but with persistent training, they will be able to reach the instep and toes.

Standing gymnastics: The patient stands with his hands on his hips, first lifts his legs straight forward in turn, then stands with his legs as far apart as possible, bends his knees in turn so that the body squats in a bow shape. At this time, the lower limbs without flexed knees can be pulled and stretched.

Fold to edit this section Pathological etiology

The cause of primary sciatica (sciatica) is unknown and is relatively rare in clinical practice.

Secondary sciatica is caused by compression or stimulation of adjacent lesions and is divided into radicular and trunk sciatica, which refer to whether the compression site is on the nerve root or the nerve trunk, respectively. Radicular sciatica is more common, and the most common cause is intervertebral disc herniation. Other causes include intraspinal tumors, vertebral metastases, lumbar tuberculosis, lumbar spinal stenosis, etc.; trunk sciatica can be caused by sacroiliitis, pelvic tumors, compression of the pregnant uterus, hip arthritis, buttocks trauma, diabetes, etc.

Fold to edit this section Disease diagnosis

The diagnosis is not difficult based on the location and radiation direction of the pain, factors that aggravate the pain, pain-relieving postures, traction pain and tenderness points, but it is very important to determine the cause.

1. Lumbar disc herniation: Patients often have a long history of recurrent low back pain or a history of heavy physical labor. The disease often develops acutely after a lumbar injury or bending labor. In addition to the typical symptoms and signs of radicular sciatica, there are lumbar muscle spasm, limited lumbar spine movement and loss of natural flexion. There may be obvious tenderness and radiating pain in the intervertebral space at the site of disc herniation. X-rays may show narrowing of the affected intervertebral space. CT examination can confirm the diagnosis.