Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless leg syndrome is a condition characterised by an uncontrollable desire to move the legs (sometimes the arms or torso) to alleviate sensations of tingling, itching, tickling or burning.
What is Restless Leg Syndrome?
It is sometimes also called Wittmaack-Ekbom's syndrome. It is a neurological disorder which only occurs when resting and moving the legs usually eases or completely eliminates the symptoms. The degree of these sensations can range from mild and irritating to severe and sometimes painful.
Due to the symptoms only appearing at rest, many people have difficulty sleeping and so exhaustion is one of the most debilitating results.
Whilst it can occur in either gender and at any age, it is more prevalent in women, from middle age onwards. Symptoms also appear to worsen with age.
What are the Symptoms?
- An unpleasant sensation in the legs at rest
- The sensation usually eases on movement
- Symptoms are most frequently in the lower leg, although can appear in the thigh and foot/ankle too.
- Symptoms are frequently found in both legs simultaneously.
- Over 80% of sufferers also experience periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) which causes involuntary leg twitches and jerky movements.
- Symptoms tend to be worst in the evenings and at their best in the mornings.
Causes
Generally the cause of RLS is unknown. Around half of all cases report a family history of the condition, suggesting that it may be a genetic condition.
The following factors also seem to contribute to developing RLS:
- Anemia - low iron levels
- Diseases such as Diabetes, Parkinson's, Peripheral neuropathy and Kidney failure.
- Medications
- Pregnancy
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Caffeine
Treatment
If an underlying medical condition is believed to be at the route of the syndrome, then controlling or treating this usually has a profound effect on reducing symptoms.
In cases with no underlying cause, then treatment is directed at relieving symptoms. Lifestyle changes such as a decrease in alcohol, caffeine and tobacco intake may be the first step. Other changes include altering sleep patterns so that more sleep is taken in the mornings (as symptoms are often decreased at this time), introducing exercise and taking supplements to correct any nutritional deficiencies.
Hot baths, massage, stretching and hot and cold packs have also been recommended with success in some cases.
If none of these interventions are successful, a Doctor may prescribe medications such as nervous system depressants, opioids (e.g. codeine) or anti-convulsants to help reduce symptoms. No one medication seems to be effective in every case and may produce side effects and so you should discuss this in details with your Doctor.
The musculoskeletal treatment approach looks at the use of osteopathic manipulations to reduce symptoms. This has been shown to be effective in over 80% of patients. This follows on from research which demonstrated that a larger proportion of RLS sufferers have a somatic dysfunction at the lowest level of the Lumbar spine. Gentle manipulation of this area is also side-effect free.
