Restless Legs Syndrome

Sleep Master — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:04:11 +0000

Have you ever experienced breaking your sleep and become forcefully awaken as you kick out with your feet? If so, you have experienced Restless Leg Syndrome, or (RLS, Wittmaack-Ekbom’s syndrome). Originally described in 17^th century medical publications, Restless Legs Syndrome was bothering people ever since!

What is Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless Leg Syndrome is a precondition to sleep, which affects approximately 8% to 9% of all adult population. As far as the medical science is concerned, the cause of the restless legs syndrome is still unknown. However, the syndrome is mostly populated among pregnant women and among men who suffer from Fibromyalgia or M.E (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis).

What are the Symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome?

The following symptoms are the most popular for identification of the presence of Restless Legs Syndrome:

Sensation of pins and needles

Insomnia

Leg cramps

Lack of feeling in the legs and occasionally arms

Skin sensitive to the touch

How to Diagnose Restless Leg Syndrome?

To your surprise, there aren’t any special tests for diagnosis of Restless Leg Syndrome, however, it is not uncommon if your family doctor will insist on a full physical examination and even ask you to get your blood tests done.

Blood test may be required just to discover any secondary causes of the Restless Legs Syndrome, such as an iron deficiency, diabetes, kidney failure, etc.

Your family doctor might also ask you about your family history in expectation to find any similar conditions that could be inherited. The presence of arthritis in your joints could be also a symptom.

How are we going to treat Restless Leg Syndrome?

Well, unfortunately Restless Leg Syndrome does not have a cure. The Restless Legs condition can be alleviated or eased by the following techniques:

Placing feet in cold water. This is done by pouring cold water on the bottom of a bathtub and start walking

Kneeling your legs an straitening them out several times

Walking up the stairs

Swimming

Slow and gentle exercise

Lying on the bed with the feet stretching out

Your family doctor will be able to prescribe any particular medication to reduce the Restless Legs symptoms however, as it has been said above, there is no solid cure for it.

Can Vitamins help my Restless Leg Syndrome?

Recent study suggests that by taking the necessary vitamins may reduce the symptoms of the Restless Legs Syndrome. if you happen to suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome, then you should consider taking the following vitamins:

Alternative Remedies: Do they help?

There are plenty of alternative remedies that claim to help in case of Restless Legs Syndrome. They include:

Acupuncture

Acupressure

Aromatherapy

Reflexology

Shiatsu

Niagra Therapy (use vibrating massaging equipment)

Conclusion

The best recommendation in case when you suffering from Restless Legs Syndrome is to consult with your family doctor before getting in to any on any alternative treatments. Please refer to the post of this site to make sure that before going to your doctor you fill the Questionnaire. It makes sense to present the history of the syndrome and all symptoms, especially when they happened for the first time, how long they last, and give it to your health-care practitioner or family doctor. Don’t worry about bombarding them with information, The more information you provide, the easier will be for them to diagnose the problem.

Watch Video: Restless Legs Syndrome

Watch Video: Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless leg syndrome, or RLS, is a sensation induced by an immobilization of the legs. Learn more about restless leg syndrome and what you can do about it from our medical expert in this free video.