Tingling or burning sensations in the legs. A feeling as though there is an itch inside of your legs that you can’t dig through the skin to scratch. A pressing desire to get up and walk around and when doing so, the discomfort subsides a good deal. An immediate way to get rid of the pain is to stretch.
If these symptoms sound familiar, you may be the victim of the Restless Leg Syndrome, or RLS, sleep disorder. Restless Leg Syndrome is characterized by a burning, itching, often “gnawing” type pain in the legs and the urge to stretch them. RLS sufferers have found that mobility in any form temporarily helps the pain, but once a person has stopped moving again, the sensations continue. Restless legs are usually worse at night and after an individual has been seated for a long period of time. Though there is no found cure for RLS, as of yet, physicians know that it is a neurological sleep disorder that is often hereditary. Sometimes, medications are available to treat it. The only problem, though, is that these medications can be addictive, many of them, and so not only is there risk of abuse, but also the potential for them to stop working over time. So what does one do for Restless Leg Syndrome treatment?
Until someone finds a cure, one suffers. One, being myself.
I have been suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome since I was about four years old. My grandmother used to take me to theatrical performances: ballets, operas, musicals, etc. I can recall how after a few years of experiencing the awful burning and itching sensations along with the more sightly twitches, I got to anticipate the onset of these symptoms and thus, came to dread going to the shows. I knew that what was ahead of me was a long night of sitting in a small, uncomfortable seat, and literally willing my leg pains to subside while simultaneously willing the performance to end.
Snack bars, bathrooms, telephones, the smoking area outside of venues… I know these places all to well, in almost any arena where one might go to sit for longer than a half hour at a time. For when you have Restless Leg Syndrome, to sit still for that long is almost unbearable and truly truly painful. You sit through the performance and instead of focusing on what is on stage, your thoughts dwell on figuring out when is the next time you can find an excuse to leave your seat and not draw abnormal attention to yourself? I am sure that all RLS sufferers would agree with me that intermissions are the best part of performances. It is at this time where we don’t make a scene getting out of our seats to pace. It is at this time we can stand up and stretch (and oh how good it feels to stretch) our legs as if just going with the flow, you know, stretching just in case, since we had an hour left, or using the restroom “just in case”. With RLS though, it is the case. Everytime. And any sufferer can assure you, it is miserable.
Picture being tickled. You know how in a way it kind of produces an itching sensation that you can’t quite describe? Then think of how badly you yearn for someone to stop tickling you while they are in the process of doing it. The feeling of great relief you get when they stop. This is probably the only way I could even come close to describing how annoying and uncomfortable it is for sufferers of Restless Leg Syndrome. Plus, in addition to the tingling sensations and painful twitches, we also miss out on many things we really are enjoying the experience of, such as movies, and the type of performances discussed earlier. Not to mention the awkwardness that comes with having to excuse yourself from business meetings every time or worse, not excusing oneself and dealing with the pain and twitching.
It is common for people to brush off Restless Leg Syndrome as a result of other external factors. Restless Leg Syndrome is difficult for the sufferer and unfortunately, the disorder masks itself well to pull off the appearance of almost being an everyday, common symptom of tired legs from extended use. Therefore, many RLS sufferers don’t even know to go for help or are simply embarrassed. But the disorder is real and get to hanging out for long intervals with, or better yet, trying to sleep next to a Restless Leg Syndrome sufferer and you will realize the severity of the problem. Much research is currently being done to try and determine the causes and potential cures of this disorder. Until then, we can only be patient and do what we can to educate others.
Reference:
- www.ninds.nih.gov– Restless Legs Syndrome Disorder at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Website. www.rls.org– Homepage of the Restless Leg Syndrome Organization
