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What Causes Pain In Right Thigh At Night?

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Posted on Fri, 20 Jun 2014
Question: About six weeks ago I started experiencing aching in my right thigh at night when I went to bed and all night long. The pain started where my thigh and pelvis meet and because I had my newborn grandson here I thought perhaps it was from bending down to pick him up and changing his diaper. Sometimes it ached during the day but mostly at night. After a week or so the other thigh started to ache as well during the night and this aching has spread down my legs and lately to the tops of my arms. I get up and take an advil to relieve the aching so that I can get some sleep. In the morning I move slowly but usually within a couple of hours the pain disappears. I have been gardenning for up to three hours each day and that involves heavy lifting but I suffer no aches afterwards. Again, it comes on when I go to bed at night. I am quite perplexed by this and feel that if it was poor circulation I would suffer during the day. Only on occasion do I have aching during the day.
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Answered by Dr. Karl Logan (17 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Different possible causes!

Detailed Answer:
hi,

thanks for your question.

the aching in your thigh could be for a number of reasons. if it is on the outside of your thigh then their are two main possibilities

1. meralgia paraesthetica. this is irritation of the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh. the pain is usually associated with some numbness over the outside of the thigh.

2. trochanteric bursitis. this would give you pain and tenderness over the bony bump on the outside of yor thigh.

if the pain is in the front of yor thigh or your groin then it could be emanating from your hip joint, such as from mild osteoarthritis or from your lower back.

localising the pain and describing it a little more would help narrow the possibilities down as would a physical assessment by your family doctor.

an X-ray of your hips and lumbar spine may be in order. an antiinflammatory medication would help all causes as would physiotherapy. cortisone shots can also be of benefit for trochanteric bursitis and meralgia paraesthetica.

I hope this helps answer your question.

best wishes
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Karl Logan

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 705 Questions

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What Causes Pain In Right Thigh At Night?

Brief Answer: Different possible causes! Detailed Answer: hi, thanks for your question. the aching in your thigh could be for a number of reasons. if it is on the outside of your thigh then their are two main possibilities 1. meralgia paraesthetica. this is irritation of the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh. the pain is usually associated with some numbness over the outside of the thigh. 2. trochanteric bursitis. this would give you pain and tenderness over the bony bump on the outside of yor thigh. if the pain is in the front of yor thigh or your groin then it could be emanating from your hip joint, such as from mild osteoarthritis or from your lower back. localising the pain and describing it a little more would help narrow the possibilities down as would a physical assessment by your family doctor. an X-ray of your hips and lumbar spine may be in order. an antiinflammatory medication would help all causes as would physiotherapy. cortisone shots can also be of benefit for trochanteric bursitis and meralgia paraesthetica. I hope this helps answer your question. best wishes