Crural nerve: our 5 stretches

The crural nerve (or femoral nerve) is a mixed nerve (sensory and motor) located in the lower limbs.

It provides feeling on the front surface of your leg, particularly at the front of your thigh, on the anteromedial side (front and inside) of your knee, but also at the ankle and on the inside of your foot.

It is also a motor nerve, meaning that it also allows certain muscles to contract, in particular the hip flexor muscles such as the psoas and the knee extensor muscles such as the quadriceps.

The crural nerve stems from the lumbar nerve roots L2, L3, L4 (in the lower back). It descends forward into the hip and passes through the middle of the iliac and psoas muscles, which it innervates. It continues its course towards the front of your hip and divides into several branches to run down the front of your thigh, the inside of your knee, the tibia and finally your ankle and foot.

Cruralgia is a sensory condition of varying nature and intensity: This may be a tingling sensation, pins and needles, numbness, a burning sensation or even an electric shock.

Symptoms often occur on the front of the thigh, from the groin crease to the knee. Hervé Perrigault explains: "It's not nerve pain, it's pain in the zone regulated by the nerve. There is no motor element in cruralgia, just as in sciatica."

If you think you're suffering from cruralgia, there's just one thing to remember: consult a health professional, such as your GP. Only a medical consultation can determine whether or not a course of medication is required and allow sessions to be prescribed with a kinesitherapist or a physiotherapist.

The causes of cruralgia can be varied or even multiple, as Hervé Perrigault explains: "The causes can be mechanical: articular in the lumbar region, muscular, but also visceral and even more rarely tumoral. Treatment depends on the cause of the pain. But overall, it's like lumbago (lower back pain) or sciatica (sciatica pain). "

A number of natural remedies can help relieve crural pain: heat, stretching, gentle movement and rest.

"Warning: Rest means no excessive movement, but it doesn't mean lying down and not using your leg at all", explains the kinesitherapist.

As with the sciatic nerve, the crural nerve itself cannot be stretched. On the other hand, you can stretch the muscles around the nerve to relieve the pain.

Stretching also depends on your specific situation and your diagnosis. Hervé Perrigault explains: "In the case of cruralgia of high origin, it is necessary to see if there is a blockage in the lumbar region, for example, and stretch the area if necessary."

Stretching the front of the thigh rarely makes a difference, but it can relieve tension. The aim is to try and relax so that there is as little tension as possible in the pelvis, psoas, glutes and adductors. Here are a few tips on how to stretch a little lower.

The worst thing you can do is remain immobile for long periods. Bear in mind that a nerve likes to be well irrigated (blood), have space and remain mobile. All these elements are provided by movement. So keep moving!

Don't exert yourself for too long, but try to move a little every day. 

Here are 5 exercises you can do at home. For each exercise, follow the instructions and hold the position for approximately 30 seconds.

For stretching to be effective, you don't need to stay in the same position for long. On the other hand, try to do it as often as possible (ideally every day). Remember to breathe and relax as much as possible. If you tense up, it will be counterproductive.

Starting position: On your mat, lying on your back.

Execution: Breathe in, bend your knees. Exhale and, using your arms, bring your knees close to your chest without taking your pelvis off the floor. Hug yourself.

💡 You can make small rocking movements from right to left to "massage" your lower back.

The best position to be in is one where you're not in too much pain! For Hervé Perrigault, the least painful sitting position for cruralgia is often one "where you're sitting not too low and not too deep, on a high stool for example."

Remember that you are the best person to know what makes you feel good, so trust yourself!

There's really no set time for recovering from cruralgia. It all depends on what is causing the pain and the treatment chosen.  

If you suffer from chronic pain, "this means that the chosen treatment is not sufficient to act on the cause, or that it cannot act on the cause because the correct cause of the problem has not been identified", explains Hervé Perrigault.

If you have followed the advice of your doctor or kinesitherapist, you should consult them again.

There is no specific physical activity that will prevent crural nerve pain, but a healthy lifestyle and daily exercise are a very good start.

Hervé Perrigault adds: "For things to get better, you have to look after the lumbopelvic-femoral area so that it remains functional". The lumbar vertebrae, the sacroiliac joint and the hip  are the joints you need to keep moving to keep everything healthy.

Walking, gentle yoga, stretching, whatever! Do what makes you feel good, and do it regularly and gently. Vary your enjoyment by trying out different activities: yin yoga, Pilates, tai chi or qi gong, for example.

Lumbocruralgia is an irritation of the crural nerve associated with lower back pain.

"Sometimes you have pain in one area and the cause of the pain is 40 or 50 centimetres away. The nerve transmits information to the brain, so we complain about a painful area when the problem is actually on the nerve path."

If you feel pain and you don't know what it is, the best thing to do is consult your GP.