The effect of posture misalignment and muscles surrounding the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve on meralgia paresthetica

Aim: The associated etiological factors of Meralgia Paresthetica (MP) are various. We hypothesized that posture misalignment and changes in muscle surrounding the Lateral Femoral Cutaneus Nerve (LFCN) can cause compression on the nerve or that patients with MP may have posture disorder due to pain, which can lead to entrapment. The purpose of study was to determine the potentional relationship between posture misalignment, muscles thickness and MP. Methods: A cross sectional study was undertaken. Twenty-six patients patients diagnosed with MP [12 women and 14 men; median age, 48.5 (35.3-65.0) years] participated in the study. The LFCN was evaluated with ultrasound in patients with MP. The thickness of the vastus medialis, lateralis, iliopsoas, sartorius, tensor fascia lata and rectus femoris muscles was measured using ultrasound. LANSS, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) were assessed. Postural alignment were evaluated using DIERS formetric 4D and New York Posture Rating (NYPR) scale. Results: Tensor facia lata muscle thickness was significantly lower in the symptomatic side (p = 0.034). There was an inversely correlation between LANSS and sartorius and iliopsoas muscle thickness (respectively, p = 0.036, p = 0.047), while the rectus femoris muscle thickness was inversely correlated with LANSS in the asymptomatic side (p = 0.038). There was a significantly relationship between LANSS and postural misalignment variables (coronal imbalance, trunk length, inflection point). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that coronal imbalance and trunk length in postural variables were statistically significant predictors of LANSS (r 2 =0.342). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that changes in muscles surrounding LFCN and posture misalignment may contribute as an etiological factor in patients with MP or vice versa. Data availability: The corresponding author will provide the datasets used and analyzed during the current work upon reasonable request.