Here, it passes to the thigh through a tunnel formed by the lateral attachment of the inguinal ligament and the anterior superior iliac spine. This is the most common site of entrapment. No racial predilection is known. No gender proclivity is known. The paresthesias may be quite painful.
Symptoms are typically unilateral.
Occasionally, patients are hyperesthetic in this area. Tapping over the upper and lateral aspects of the inguinal ligament or extending the thigh posteriorly, which stretches the nerve, may reproduce or worsen the paresthesias. Motor strength in the involved leg should be normal. Lying in the fetal position for prolonged periods also has been implicated. Meralgia paresthetica is more common in diabetics than in the general population.