word-forming element meaning 1. after, behind, 2. changed, altered, 3. higher, beyond; from Greek meta (prep.) in the midst of, in common with, by means of, in pursuit or quest of, from PIE *me-in the middle (cf. German mit, Gothic miÃ¾, Old English miÃ° with, together with, among; see mid).
There are a number of reasons you may have numbness in the thigh. The most common cause of thigh numbness without other symptoms is compression or irritation of the nerve that supplies the skin of the upper, outside part of the thigh, called the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve.
If the narrowing is substantial, it causes compression of the spinal cord or spinal nerves, which causes the painful symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis, including low back pain, buttock pain, and leg pain and numbness that is made worse with walking and relieved by resting. Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 5/7/2015.