DEAR DR. GOTT: Your column has helped me with my leg cramps. I am writing because I have a concern. For many years, I have had intermittent burning sensations on my inner thighs and buttocks, sometimes with the feeling of pins and needles. I have seen a dermatologist, but because she could not see anything on my skin, she said she couldn’t help. I am at my wits’ end.
DEAR READER: Burning, stinging, pain, pins and needles, and other abnormal sensations of the buttocks and thighs are often the result of a spinal problem, most commonly sciatica. This condition is caused by impingement of the sciatic nerve in the lower back, usually caused by a slipped, ripped, torn or otherwise displaced disc. Other symptoms include low back pain, abnormal sensations in the low back, calves or feet, and urinary or fecal incontinence. I suggest you speak with your physician about this possibility and get an X-ray or MRI of the thoracic (middle) and lumbar (lower) areas of your spine.
To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Managing Chronic Pain.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Newsletter and sent to P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
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