"Dents" in leg muscles

My girlfriend noticed this indent in her upper thigh yesterday. She has an appointment to see a doctor Monday but was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what this could possibly be. It’s not sore to the touch and there is no bruising. She isn't on any steroid shots.

I am having a similar situation and no one knows that it is. I had one in my calf, now this morning I woke up with dents under both knees that literally were not there yesterday. I have had tingling, numbness, pins and needles in mostly my left calf. I did an EMG, and it was normal, but the orthopedic said the neurologist did not test the muscle of interest. I can't get an appointment until a week from now and I am kind of freaked out. Some of the pictures on this thread look similar to what I have, so I thought I would see if anyone was able to get an answer on what these are? Much appreciated!

Hello @cp230, Welcome to Connect. I have had dent's in my right calf muscle frequently and don't have pain with it. For me, I think it's related to my lymphedema. Here are a couple of possible explanations.

How to identify pitting edema
— https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321773.php

Twitching Muscles, DENTS, Calf Cramps: Facing the Terror
— https://scarysymptoms.com/2015/04/twitching-muscles-calf-cramps-dents/

Have you discussed the dents with your doctor? Hopefully some other members will be able to share their experience also.

I have had Peripheral Neuropathy for over 15 years and I also have dimples in my calves. They are getting worse as time goes by, sorry to say. Sorry to hear this for you.

@cladinviolet you should be seen by a physician to be certain it is not a serious condition. It will be a relief for you if your are worried. Let me say I also have muscle weakness and neuropathy. Prior I was very active. I spent many hours at a time in the gym. I believe what you are describing is the relationship between the muscles and nerves. Neuropathy involves nerve damage. With the improper nerve signals, the muscles will not move correctly and therefore cause the sagging of the skin. Can you pump up your muscles or have sore muscles after a workout or exercise? The degree of neuropathy can cause imbalance issues. We simply no longer have the nerves for our brain to sense our location and surroundings to make use of our muscles for proper balance. Without our sensors our bodies are incapable of normal activities so we do the best we can. Physical therapy is an option which worked well for me. It was not a cure. To see what is best for you give it a try. Everyone is different. It would require patients as the exercises would have to be done many times before seeing any benefits. Having been active before should make it easier on you. Do you know the cause of your condition? The condition can become worse if the cause is not stopped, i.e. the nerves will continue to get damaged. You will become more comfortable with the more knowledge you gain so be ready to ask your physician for information. Wish you well.

Hi @cladinviolet, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I see you are worried about the dent in your leg muscle. You will see that I moved your post to an ongoing discussion about this topic. I did this so that you can connect with other members like @trellg132, @johnhans, and @johnbishop who have contributed to this topic.

Is this the first dent that you have seen? Have you shared this with your primary?

I also have a couple of dents 1 being large in my right leg. I do have lupus is that something to do with it .. my legs hurt alot

I also popped into this conversation. I DO have problems with gait. I would fall but I always manage to fall into things or grab onto others. Also I went from 168 to 89lbs in 18 months without change in eating. But was diagnosed with celiac disease and have gained back 19lbs. Prior to April 10 2017 I had sciatica, scoliosis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis. Then I woke up on the 10th and had lost the use of my right hand and the pain felt like my hand was in boiling water. 10 days later I woke up with the same thing in my left hand. 1st neurologist said PARSONAGE TURNER SYSNDROME and said she would send a letter to my family Dr. When I went to see family Dr. Her words exactly were. I have never heard of this disease YOU WILL HAVE TO GOOGLE IT. I did, it didn't sound like my symptoms. 48 hours after the test where they poke you full of holes I had a heart attack at home whilst having a BM. 2nd neurologist said no it couldn't be PTS. he said was MONO NEURITIS MULTIPLEX. MNM family Dr said. SAME DEAL YOU WILL HAVE TO GOOGLE IT. SAME DEAL it didn't sound like my symptoms.
I went back to my old family Dr. He's not likely to tell me to Google it. He sent me to a different neurologist, the 3rd. When we got there she had gone through all the previous tests done by the others. She had made herself totally knowledgeable of my symptoms. She was what you hope for in a Dr. However yes you guessed it 3rd diagnosis. CHRONIC REGIONAL PAIN SYSNDROME. She explained every detail, no waiting to get results from family Dr. However the news was not good. It is nicknamed the suicide disease. There is no cure and no treatment. Just 24/7 pain. I am on gabapentine. I didn't think it worked until I miss a dose. Also long acting diladid and 2mg fast acting for break through pain. They don't work either. So I cry out in pain I scream in pain. My best friend is sleep and I'm very fortunate that my evening meds do their job and I sleep well. Then I wake up. It's still there. It will always be there. I will never have anything to look forward to again. I'm only 64. I worked all my life now I've lost that. My husband is drifting farther and farther away. I have zero quality of life. I know why it's nicknamed the suicide disease because I fantasize about not waking up. Having a massive heart attack. Because my death is not imminent I'm not eligible for MAID. The thought of living like this for another 2 weeks is hell but 20 years. Will not happen. I will be a statistic. Part of the over 60% that choose to end their life. I pray no one on here has this horrible disease. It breaks my heart that children can get this disease.