Restless Leg Syndrome

[SsupernovaE]

Anybody have this or know somebody with it? I was diagnosed with it after years of nearly going crazy and unable to sleep. Apparently, RLS can also present in the arms. Dr. prescribed tramadol, but I'm hesitant to use it because of potential dependence and heroin-like withdrawal syndrome.

 

[Kaido]

Yes, I had it. Turned out to be food-related for me. Discovered I had several food allergies - after going off them, my RLS all but disappeared. I still get a bit twitchy if I have sugar, especially if I have sugar before bedtime.

Do you have any other symptoms - dark circles under your eyes, trouble concentrating, anything with your sinuses, etc.?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

For several years, I had RLS symptoms. I never saw a doctor about it because I figured - well, what can I do?

Well, later, I had some piriformis issues (strain). Because of that, I started foam rolling it and stretching it quite a bit. About a week into treating my tight piriformis, I experienced a complete cessation of RLS symptoms. It's interesting, but I honestly believe that neural compression can lead to the discomfort frequently associated with restless leg syndrome. If you can, buy a foam-roller on amazon.com and look up ways to roll your piriformis, hamstrings, and calves. They can all compress on your sciatic/tibial nerve. It's only about $20 and there's no risk in trying it. I'd suggest giving it a go and seeing how it works out.

I'm a physical therapy student and have also noticed the same thing in a patient of mine. Same treatment intervention, same results.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

There are physiotherapeutic treatments for RLS, and I would encourage you to try those before pharmacological treatments since they have fewer side effects and cost less. On the other hand, in terms of medications, there are alternatives to opioids that can be tried, such as gabapentin.

Because RLS is such a vaguely defined condition, however (like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue) it's important to exclude other potential causes of leg pain/discomfort before attributing it to RLS.

 

[Miramonti]

I can go thru difficult bouts of this and it's torture to sleep. I'll take naproxen if I can't sleep which helps. Regular weight exercises with the legs seem to help too.

 

[Lounatik]

I get what I call "restless body syndrome" when I work out too late and try to sleep soon thereafter. It gets so bad that I literally stiffen my body so that my legs are about two inches off of the mattress and tuck my chin to my chest and lift up, like a situp, for as long as I can. My body feels like its vibrating and I cant shake the feeling without stretching out like a board.
It affects my whole body, from my shoulders to my feet, and usually lasts about 30-45 minutes and then it goes away as fast as it comes upon me. Doesnt happen all of the time, but when it does, it wears my ass out because I dont sleep much at night and it cuts into the little sleep I do get.


Peace


Lounatik

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

How old are you OP? If you are in high school it could just be a growth spurt. I went through growing pains. Literally.

 

[SWScorch]

I used to experience RLS like crazy back when I was in high school and college. It would get really bad when I was sitting or laying down. Over the years it diminished, although I still get it sometimes when my wife and I are cuddling. I think it's somewhat psychological, though, because I only get it now when we are laying in a position that makes it impossible or difficult to move my legs. As soon as one of us moves and I have the ability to move my legs, it goes away. It's quite weird. I never found out what was causing it, or why it disappeared, but I know how maddeningly frustrating it can be. Hope you find something that works!

 

[gar655]

I have it. I use trazodone, an anti-depressant that helps me fall asleep. Works pretty good most of the time although the affect only lasts about 4 hours or so. It does help me fall asleep and I can usually stay asleep about 6 hours or so.

My RLS seems to occur mostly when I first lay down to sleep. If I wake up later in the night I usually don't have too much of an issue. Long overnight plane trips are shear torture though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trazodone

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I have it. I use trazodone, an anti-depressant that helps me fall asleep. Works pretty good most of the time although the affect only lasts about 4 hours or so. It does help me fall asleep and I can usually stay asleep about 6 hours or so.

My RLS seems to occur mostly when I first lay down to sleep. If I wake up later in the night I usually don't have too much of an issue. Long overnight plane trips are shear torture though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trazodone

Sounds like the usual symptoms could be caused by a sort of "release" phenomenon affecting the sciatic nerve. If it bothers you still, I'd still suggest physical therapy. Just breaking up adhesions and scar tissue around the sciatic nerve will likely help and it's drug-free. In addition to this, I'm specifically commenting on your post because long durations of sitting frequently lead to piriformis compression and therefore nerve symptoms (if you're pathological). Your presentation just seems to be more mechanically involved. It makes you more of a candidate physical treatment than pharmaceutical treatment.

 

[gar655]

Sounds like the usual symptoms could be caused by a sort of "release" phenomenon affecting the sciatic nerve. If it bothers you still, I'd still suggest physical therapy. Just breaking up adhesions and scar tissue around the sciatic nerve will likely help and it's drug-free. In addition to this, I'm specifically commenting on your post because long durations of sitting frequently lead to piriformis compression and therefore nerve symptoms (if you're pathological). Your presentation just seems to be more mechanically involved. It makes you more of a candidate physical treatment than pharmaceutical treatment.

Thanks for the info. Would the "stick" work? I have one but rarely use it.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Thanks for the info. Would the "stick" work? I have one but rarely use it.

IMO, the stick is way too aggressive and should be used on non-symptomatic tissue. I'd definitely order a black foam roller, which is pretty dense, but has a broad surface area so it'll get the job done with less pain. The goal isn't to flare you up, it's just to get your nerve tissue free from the muscle, ligaments, etc. Start very light - 2 or 3 out of 10 on the discomfort scale. Roll parallel to your leg and perpendicular to it too. See how that helps. If you find a spot that hurts a lot, stay on it for about 5secs. If the pain/discomfort starts to reduce, stay there until it plateaus or goes away completely. If it doesn't change, move on and find another spot.

 

[interchange]

If other approaches don't provide relief and/or you want medical therapy, then request something other than tramadol. There are other therapies for RLS that are non-narcotic (although may have potential unwanted side effects).