Restless Leg Syndrome – Signs, Symptoms and Life Style Changes
Patients with restless leg syndrome (RLS) often complaint about an unpleasant sensation in their legs, thighs and sometime affecting arms. Often patient could not express that sensation and might use various descriptions like, crawling, burning, tingling or creeping sensation. Some people are quite reluctant to seek medical help, as they could not describe the symptoms they have. The four common characteristics of restless leg syndrome are as follows:
Urge to move: people often have an urge to move their affected limb. This compelling desire to move the limbs gives this condition its name.
Relief by movement: Those affected by restless leg syndrome often try to get relief by stretching, walking few steps or jiggling their legs.
Precipitated by inactivity: Sensation typically starts or getting worse during the period of rest or inactivity. Typical examples are after travelling in a car or airplane for long time or during sleeping.
Worse in evenings: symptoms are worse at evening and night compared to day time.
Most people, who suffer from RLS, find it to difficult to sleep at nights. This in turn causes tiredness and drowsiness during day time. It would also have an impact on normal day to day activities.
There no specific tests to find out restless leg syndrome. Diagnosis is usually made by characteristic signs and symptoms. Sometimes doctor might ask for blood tests to rule out conditions like iron de