Meralgia paresthetica is a well-known sensory syndrome describing paresthesia and/or anesthesia in the anterolateral
aspect of the thigh that is supplied by the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Compression of the nerve usually occurs at the point
where it passes between the anterior superior iliac spine and the inguinal ligament. Proximal lesions such as lumbar
radiculopathy, lumbar disc herniation, and spinal stenosis have been reported to cause meralgia paresthetica-like syndrome.
These proximal lesions directly injure L2 and L3 spinal nerve roots and cause a constant compression of the nerve roots. The
presented paper introduces a hypothesis that this syndrome can be caused by transient injury to the L2 and L3 nerve roots by
the upper adjacent disc bulge without definite compression. This hypothesis is supported by lumbar spine magnetic resonance
imaging of a patient presenting with a meralgia paresthetica-like symptom during bending forward and twisting of the body,
showing no L2/L3 herniated disc but mildly posterior bulging of T12/L1 disc. This hypothesis emphasizes an importance of
appropriate postures in patients with meralgia paresthetica-like symptoms in order to prevent long-term morbidity.

Keywords: Lumbar radiculopathy, Spinal stenosis, Disc herniation