Traumatic injury or musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis may cause compression against nerves, causing sensations of numbness or tingling in various parts of your body and extremities. In some cases, exercise may help relieve such sensations. If you've experienced an injury to your spine or hip, your doctor might suggest hip rotation, flexion and extension exercises for relief.
Paresthesia
Paresthesia is a condition that causes a tingling sensation in some part of your body. You may know it as your skin crawling, pins and needles or a sensation that brings with it numbness and itching. Your arm falling asleep from laying on it is a common type of temporary paresthesia. Those that experience chronic paresthesia sensations have often experienced an injury to a specific body part and damaged or pinched nerves may cause the constant tingling sensation. A pinched nerve in the lower spine or hip may cause tingling sensations in the leg.
Hip Flexors
Your hip flexors are a group of long muscles that extend from the base of the spine and the crest of your hipbone down to the top of your thigh. These muscles, the rectus femoris, the illiacus and the psoas major, help you lift and extend your knee, flex your hips and walk, run and jump. Exercise your hip flexors according to your doctor or therapist's suggestions and guidance for safe and optimal benefits for relief of paresthesia in your legs.
Stretching
Stretching the hip flexors may help strengthen muscles, tendons and ligaments in and around the hips, relieve pressure against nerves and reduce tingling or numb sensations in the hip and the lower extremities. An effective stretch is the hip flexor stretch. Kneel down on the floor with your left knee, placing your right foot at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Lean forward slightly. You should feel the stretch at the front of your left hip. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then return to your starting position. Repeat several more times and then switch to stretch the hip flexors on the other side.
Split Squats
Open your hip joint and elongate your hip flexor muscles for relief of tightness and pinched nerves causing paresthesia by performing a split front squat. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your left leg extended out in front of you and the left leg behind you. Keeping your back straight, dip your body weight downward until your right knee comes close to the floor. Your left thigh should be perpendicular to the floor at the full dip position. Press upward with the heel of your left foot to return to your starting position. Repeat five to 10 times and then switch legs to work the other hip flexors.
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