[pct-l] Numbness

[benschif at sonnet.com (Ben Schifrin)]

This is a very common condition among backpackers, as well as obese 
diabetics, too-hip fashionista young women, and some just plain 
unlucky folks. I get it, off and on, on virtually every backpack. I 
had it badly, with big loads, on my first thru-hike, at age 17, as 
did both of my hiking buddies. It is no respecter of age or fitness.

The condition is called, "meralgia paresthetica". It is caused by 
compression from a hip-belt on the median femoral cutaneous nerve of 
the anterolateral thigh. It is irritating. For you, it will probably 
reoccur, and it will pass. In a recently published survey of nerve 
injuries among AT hikers, it was quite common, along with "pack 
hands" (often complained about on this list), and tarsal tunnel 
syndrome, the counterpart of carpal tunnel syndrome. That condition, 
in my informal surveys, is second only to blisters as a foot malady 
of PCT hikers, since it is even more-common in those who wear light 
shoes.


>This summer on the JMT, both my wife and I started getting numb just 
>below the hips on the front of our upper legs. This started after 
>about a week on the trail. Certainly this was from our hip belts. We 
>had pretty light loads, and small packs - maybe 30 lbs max with food 
>for me and 25 for my wife.  We use different packs and have very 
>different builds, so its funny that we both had the same problem. In 
>years of hiking, I don't ever remember this happening. Maybe I'm 
>just getting old. Actually, there is no maybe about that (I'm 43). 
>We spent 14 glorious days getting to Whitney and afterwards I had 
>sensations of numbness for at least a month, maybe two.  It didn't 
>really bother us too much , but got us to thinking about similar 
>problems on a thru hike - although none of the many thru hikers we 
>met mentioned anything similar.  Has anyone else had a similar 
>problem?  Any comments on how to avoid it?