Category: RLS

If you have a hard time sitting still and find yourself constantly fidgeting, you may have a condition called restless legs syndrome (RLS). This condition is characterized by an irresistible urge to move your legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations like tingling, crawling, or creeping. RLS can be especially troublesome at night, causing you to wake up frequently with the urge to move your legs.
This can lead to sleep disturbances and daytime fatigue. If you have experienced these symptoms, it is worth talking to a healthcare professional to determine if you may have RLS.

What is Restless Legs Syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is an ailment and is thought to run in families. It’s a condition that results in many unpleasant feelings, often during moments of rest and prolonged inactivity. RLS is also linked with numerous conditions and diseases like sleep apnea and certain medicines. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, RLS affects up to 10% of adults and 4% of kids in the U.S.

Know the Symptoms

If you have RLS, you know that the most annoying and uncomfortable symptom is the urge to move your legs, either through walking or other motions. Some people say dismissively that you just have “ants in your pants,” but the symptoms are more intense than such a feeling. Symptoms may include:

• Sensations that begin when you’re resting.
• You may obtain short-term relief by moving.
• Discomfort worsens in the evening.
• Your legs twitch at night.

Many of these symptoms can be managed, sometimes with treatment like ketamine therapy.

What Causes RLS?

No one knows what causes restless legs syndrome. Some instances are linked to other conditions, including pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia (or a lack of healthy red blood cells), or kidney failure. There is no discernible reason for RLS in some cases, though there could be a genetic component as it’s believed to be hereditary.
Depending on your health, you may take certain medicines which function as a trigger for or that can worsen RLS symptoms. Medicines like antidepressants, anti-nausea drugs, cold and allergy medications, antipsychotic drugs, and those containing antihistamines can cause restless legs syndrome.

Unusual Feelings Caused by RLS

If you have intense, long-lasting feelings caused by restless legs syndrome, you know they’re more than just annoying and painful. They may also cause embarrassment and shame, depending on when they happen, their severity, and what you must do to make the sensation subside.

Restless leg syndrome generates unusual feelings, mostly in the legs – but you could also have them in your arms, chest, or head. Many people describe RLS as:

• Mild to unbearable
• Itching
• An irresistible urge to move or stretch
• Crawling sensation
• Pulling
• Aching feelings, most notably in the calf, thigh, or ankle
• Throbbing
• A pins and needles sensation. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, this may be caused by an underlying problem, particularly nerve, spinal cord, or brain damage – either temporary or permanent.
• Creeping
• Stressful
• RLS can be extremely tiring. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, 60%–80% of people with RLS call sleep disturbance their most upsetting indicator, which is why they seek treatment.
• According to one study, Mild electric-like shocks could be an indirect result of stress related to the overall RLS experience.
  Unbearable
• Jerky
• Like worms crawling under the skin
• Pain may increase with inactivity
• Overall sensations can last for longer than an hour
• Your limbs may feel cold, sometimes due to restricted blood flow
• You feel like you can’t think, focus, or make everyday decisions

Diagnosis & Treatment

Regrettably, there is no specific test to identify restless legs syndrome. In this case, your healthcare provider will make a diagnosis based on the symptoms you describe and the criteria established by the International Restless Legs Study Group. Documenting your personal and family medical history is required, and a thorough physical and neurological exam. Blood tests may be used to rule out any other possible health problems associated with RLS. In some cases, you could be referred to an overnight sleep study to look for other sleep disorders.
RLS doesn’t have a cure, but the pain can be managed. Your healthcare provider may recommend diet and lifestyle changes, over-the-counter pain relievers, prescription medication, or ketamine therapy.

Final Thoughts

If you are among the millions of adults in the United States who struggle with restless legs syndrome (RLS), it is important to take steps to manage your symptoms and live a fulfilling life. While making small lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet and engaging in light exercise may be helpful in managing RLS, it is also important to consider other treatment options.
One effective option for RLS is ketamine infusion therapy, a new treatment that has been shown to provide relief for people with chronic pain conditions. Contact us today to learn more!

 

 

Your skin crawls, you have trouble sleeping, and you’ve been told your legs make odd jerking movements when you’re at rest. It’s possible you’re experiencing early warning signs of a condition called restless legs syndrome, but something else has bothered you – similar pain and sensations in both of your arms.

What is RLS?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is an ailment triggering an overpowering desire to move the legs, usually resulting from a painful sensation. It typically happens during the evening or nighttime when you’re seated or lying down. Movement can ease the unpleasant feeling but only temporarily.

Restless legs syndrome, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, can sometimes affect the upper limbs, too. It disrupts sleep and daily activities.

Causes of RLS

According to some studies, restless legs syndrome has been identified as a genetic syndrome that can pass from a parent to a biological child. More than 90% of people with RLS have a biological relative with the condition. These patients are known to get symptoms early, before age 45, compared to someone with RLS without the genetic link.

Other potential causes include low iron levels, depression, and diabetes.

Risk Factors & Other Disorders

RLS can develop at any age, though it typically worsens with age and is more common in women than men. It sometimes is present in people with other conditions, including:

• Peripheral neuropathy, or damage to the nerves in the feet and hands, sometimes triggered by diabetes and alcoholism.
• Iron deficiency.
• Kidney failure, which may accompany iron deficiency and anemia. Malfunctioning kidneys mean iron supplies in the blood may decrease. This can cause or worsen symptoms of RLS.
• Spinal cord conditions, like lesions on the spinal cord due to damage or injury. Spinal block, where anesthesia is applied to the spinal cord, can increase the chance of RLS.
• People diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease take particular medicine called dopaminergic agonists, which may increase the chance of developing RLS.
• Periodic limb movement disorder is often paired with RLS. It’s known for leg muscles that contract and jerk dozens of times during sleep.

Can RLS Affect Other Body Parts?

People who report symptoms of restless legs syndrome in their legs have also been diagnosed with a related condition known as restless arm syndrome (RAS). According to a study by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), “In RAS, the arms are predominantly affected with little or no involvement of the legs.” It’s worth noting that diagnosing RAS in patients with restless legs syndrome is complicated.

Another NIH study called RAS “very rare, with very few cases” recorded in contemporary research. Still, efforts to diagnose restless arm syndrome are lacking, particularly in cases of mild or transient forms of the condition.

In the few reported cases of RAS, the pain appears to be contained in either or both arms, from just below the elbow all the way to the fingertips. Like restless legs syndrome, temporary relief may be possible through arm movements.

Symptoms of either condition may be treated in several ways, including ketamine infusion therapy from a licensed specialty clinic. Talk with your healthcare provider to see if this is a good option for you.

For someone with restless arm syndrome, it’s not unusual to complain of any of the following sensations:

•  The skin feels like it’s crawling or tingling
•  Unplanned, jerky arm movements, often when trying to sleep or while resting
• An uncontrollable desire to move the arms

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, strange sensations and jerky movements in the arms may be a precursor to, or even the first warning sign of, restless legs syndrome.

Diagnosis & Treatment

If you think you have restless legs syndrome or sensations affecting your arms, see a healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment options. In most cases, your medical professional will use criteria developed by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group:

• You have a strong, often irresistible desire to move your legs, generally paired with uncomfortable sensations
• Your symptoms begin or worsen during resting moments, like when you’re sitting or lying down
• The symptoms are partly or momentarily relieved by motion like walking or stretching
• Your symptoms worsen at night

Treatment from a Specialty Clinic is an Option

If you have RLS, your healthcare provider may recommend store-bought pain relievers, prescription medicine, exercise, or lifestyle changes to reduce the discomfort. Another option is ketamine infusion therapy from a specialty clinic, which may keep the symptoms at bay with continual treatment.