How to Recognize the Symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a neurological condition that affects about 10 percent of the population in the United States. It affects both men and women and ranges from mild to severe. Only a physician trained in the treatment of neurological disorders is fully qualified to make the diagnosis after performing specific diagnostic testing.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Keep a record of sensations in your legs that are strange and unusual. These feelings have been described as a sensation of "pulling," "tugging," "creeping," "itching" and similar unusual feelings.
2. Notice if restless leg syndrome symptoms either start or increase upon resting. Most RLS symptoms worsen with rest. You're most likely to recognize an escalation of discomfort after a few hours of sleep.
3. Pay attention to the effect of movement on the symptoms. In RLS, initiating some type of activity generally reduces or relieves the symptoms as long as the activity continues. Once the motor activity is stopped, the RLS symptoms will likely return.
4. Ask your partner if you keep her awake during the night with repetitive jerking actions. Quite often, the bed partner is the first to recognize that something is wrong.
5. Evaluate your stamina during the day. Do you have trouble staying alert and concentrating? If you experience daytime fatigue, it may be the result of restless leg syndrome since RLS can cause difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep.
6. Watch for signs such as the desire to move your legs frequently when you sit or lie down. This desire often feels too strong to resist.
7. Recognize that some people living with restless leg syndrome have involuntary leg movements during waking hours as well as during the nighttime.
8. Understand that restless leg syndrome symptoms can affect the arms and the trunk of the body.
9. Read comments from real sufferers about Restless Leg Syndrome on the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Web site.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't dismiss unusual sensations in your legs or generalized fatigue during the day as something you just have to live with. Restless leg syndrome is a diagnosable and treatable disease.
• Since there are other conditions which can have the same symptoms as restless leg syndrome, it's important to have a thorough examination by a professional in diagnosing RLS. Other conditions include joint dysfunction, circulation problems, nerve disorders and muscle diseases.

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