Are Your Legs Restless?

Have you seen the commercial? The one where they lady sits in a recliner and her legs move. Then the voiceover comes on talking about restless leg syndrome. Well that is the only time I had ever heard of this condition…until last night.

Last night in a restaurant, an acquaintance, Sue, randomly gets up from the table and stands beside it, using her right hand to massage her thigh. I knew she wasn’t about to leave, because the tab wasn’t paid yet. After her standing there for several minutes, I hear her saying she has restless leg syndrome.

Not knowing exactly what it is, except for the few seconds I remember from the commercial I want to know more about it. “Restless leg syndrome is a disorder in which there is an urge or need to move the legs to stop unpleasant sensations,” according to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

Ten years ago when she was first married, her legs would twitch, Sue said. She thought nothing of it, until it started progressing, where they would twitch several times a day. Then when the sensations aroused several times an hour, she knew something wasn’t quite right. She saw a doctor who didn’t properly diagnose it. After several years of suffering, she finally got an accurate diagnosis and medication for it.

There is no set time that the feelings come, and there is no telling how long they last, she said. The medication takes effect quickly and relieves the pain. “It starts in my legs and spreads throughout my body,” Sue said, as she motions up through her stomach, chest, and arms.

If she doesn’t get up when the sensations start, the pain magnifies. But once she stands and moves around, the feelings decrease. “If I was up cleaning or moving, I wouldn’t even know the restless leg syndrome was occurring then. It’s just when I’m still or motionless, that it really starts to hurt,” Sue said.

Restless leg syndrome affects almost 12 million Americans, according to sleepassociation.org. The cause of restless leg syndrome is not known in most patients, and there is not cure for it. There may be a genetic link, because it is known to run in families. If your parents have the disorder, you are more likely to get it, according to sleepassociation.org. If you are having an irresistible urge to move your legs and think you might have restless leg syndrome, don’t wait any longer. Please see your doctor to decrease your pain and discomfort.