{"id":2610,"date":"2020-05-01T09:05:14","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T08:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/?p=2610"},"modified":"2020-07-13T13:19:33","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T12:19:33","slug":"restless-leg-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/restless-leg-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"Restless Leg Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/CAwjKlnmsawt0iO-47v7rdpTv9LOVzgvhBnfV8A6mZODVkpPHSQeGs-s4yAz91vzDFnFVCZlaPYXnWVOyyiIrvVUsgxHb4oOQ4NRVMxsuTQP2pt7GstzShw7gtRLhjCEvV2fYwO47Q2EgPrc_g\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever found yourself fidgeting at night, unable to get to sleep? Do you have the irresistible urge to move your legs and \u2018\u2019scratch that itch\u2019\u2019? A lot of people are suffering from this, which is a very miserable experience because the uncontrollable urge has a huge negative impact on sleep quality. It may also be impacting your social life; you can\u2019t go out for dinner or to watch a film without having to confront the urge, eventually defeating you and making you stand up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be searching for answers in frustration. There is a lot of material on the internet about the condition, but where do you turn? Who do you speak with to establish the best cure for you? We have written this blog to help you understand what it is, and hopefully, establish the best sure for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>What is it?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Restless leg syndrome is a sleep disorder whereby the sufferer experiences sleep disruption and limb movements (1). There are no magical tests for it, but there are criteria you can check to see if you may suffer. The acronym is URGE:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>U \u2013 Urge. You have an urge to get up and move<\/li><li>R \u2013 Rest. You usually get symptoms when resting<\/li><li>G \u2013 Get up. The symptoms go when you get up<\/li><li>E \u2013 Evening. Your symptoms are usually at night.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>More specifically, some of the sensations may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Itching<\/li><li>Throbbing<\/li><li>Pulling&nbsp;<\/li><li>Pins and needles<\/li><li>Electric shocks<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a very common condition, where 10% of the general population experience it.&nbsp; It is also twice as common in females than in males (2). You are also more likely to suffer from it if you have depression or anxiety (4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/06ObF-gnFwXcptDGOWJpU7hUSzlZxdWd6Chnakjg9bNEGHQjdpjNg7UA4kB364kjgTkoKDbP2xduDFZLP8EQgG-juAfNFwOB-BZuBMltEQaMzX4i3XUC1MwUqS6ImcFqlWhY-aOEx03GxE6n6w\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4>Why does it happen?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stress is an exacerbating factor in many conditions, but there is a high association with depression and anxiety in restless leg syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Genetic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you suffering alongside your mum or grandparents? This has been shown to be a factor in restless leg syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Low iron levels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is typically seen in anaemic people and young menstruating women. Iron deficiencies can affect dopamine in the brain, which is a chemical crucial for movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nerve damage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diabetes and neuropathy can also cause restless leg syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other medications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Antihistamines can make the condition worse, and some patients take it to actually help ease the disorder (5).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>How can we help?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, I want to express empathy \u2013 restless leg syndrome is highly frustrating and upsetting. It is important that you don\u2019t feel embarrassed about the condition; it is very common, and you\u2019d be surprised by how many people behind the scenes are suffering from it. I also want to propose 5 research-based interventions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Manual therapy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies have shown that treating tender joints can improve symptoms over time, while taking mediation (6).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hypnotherapy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hypnotherapy can help with restless leg syndrome by treating the anxiety and depression that may be causing or exacerbating the issue. Channelling your thoughts away from the symptoms and the distress it may be causing you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exercise has been shown to be useful in reducing the symptoms of restless leg syndrome (7) \u2013 what\u2019s more, it\u2019s free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Conclusion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Although this is an incredibly stressful and seemingly hopeless disorder, I hope this blog has shown that there are natural remedies that can help. In my experience, I\u2019ve found that a variety of treatments can work. The key is to be open-minded and not to give up if results don\u2019t become apparent right away. Finally, as with all issues we treat, self-care and doing the exercises make a massive difference in combatting any condition.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For any further questions, please don\u2019t hesitate to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>0161 209 2980<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:info@movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\">info@movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ed Madeley M.Ost<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>References&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Coccagna%20G%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=15165536\">Coccagna G<\/a><sup>1<\/sup>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Vetrugno%20R%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=15165536\">Vetrugno R<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Lombardi%20C%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=15165536\">Lombardi C<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Provini%20F%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=15165536\">Provini F<\/a>. (2004) <em>Restless legs syndrome: an historical note. <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/15165536\">Sleep Med.<\/a>&nbsp;;5(3):279-83.<\/li><li>Yee. B., Killick, R., Wong, K. (2009). <em>Restless Leg Syndrome. <\/em>Australian Family Physician 38(5):296-300<\/li><li>Scholz H, Benes H, Happe S, Bengel J, Kohnen R, Hornyak M., (2011). <em>Psychological distress of patients suffering from restless legs syndrome: a cross-sectional study. <\/em>Health Qual Life Outcomes. 20; 9():73.<\/li><li>S Sevim, O Dogu, H Kaleagasi, M Aral, O Metin, H C\u00b8 (2003) <em>Correlation of anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with restless legs syndrome: a population based survey<\/em> amdeviren Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:226\u2013230<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/brain\/restless-legs-syndrome\/restless-legs-syndrome-rls\">https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/brain\/restless-legs-syndrome\/restless-legs-syndrome-rls#<\/a><\/li><li>Peters, T., MacDonald, R., Leach, C.M.J. (2012). Counterstrain manipulation in the treatment of restless leg syndrome: a pilor single-blind randomised control trial; the CARL trial. \u2018International Musculoskeletal Medicine\u2019 34(4):136-140.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Aukerman%20MM%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=16951298\">Aukerman MM<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Aukerman%20D%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=16951298\">Aukerman D<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Bayard%20M%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=16951298\">Bayard M<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Tudiver%20F%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=16951298\">Tudiver F<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Thorp%20L%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=16951298\">Thorp L<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/?term=Bailey%20B%5BAuthor%5D&amp;cauthor=true&amp;cauthor_uid=16951298\">Bailey B<\/a>. (2006). <em>Exercise and restless legs syndrome: a randomized controlled trial<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/16951298\">J Am Board Fam Med.<\/a> 19(5):487-93.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever found yourself fidgeting at night, unable to get to sleep? Do you have the irresistible urge to move your legs and \u2018\u2019scratch that itch\u2019\u2019? A lot of people are suffering from this, which is a very miserable experience because the uncontrollable urge has a huge negative impact on sleep quality. It may also be impacting your social life; you can\u2019t go out for dinner or to watch a film without having to confront the urge, eventually defeating you and making you stand up. You may be searching for answers in frustration. There is a lot of material\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":5}},"acf":{"info_box_title":"Breakdown","info_content":"<strong>\u2022 Should be suspected if this describes you well:<\/strong>\r\n\r\no U- Urge. You have an urge to get up and move\r\n\r\no R- Rest. You usually get symptoms when resting\r\n\r\no G- Get up. The symptoms go when you get up\r\n\r\no E- Evening. You symptoms usually occur at night\r\n\r\n<strong>\u2022 Occurs in 10% of the population<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>\u2022 What works:<\/strong>\r\n\r\no Manual therapy\r\n\r\no Hypnotherapy\r\n\r\no Yoga\r\n\r\no Compression stockings\r\n\r\n&nbsp;"},"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>Have you ever found yourself fidgeting at night, unable to get to sleep? Do you have the irresistible urge to move your legs and \u2018\u2019scratch that itch\u2019\u2019? A lot of people are suffering from this, which is a very miserable experience because the uncontrollable urge has a huge negative impact on sleep quality. It may also be impacting your social life; you can\u2019t go out for dinner or to watch a film without having to confront the urge, eventually defeating you and making you stand up. You may be searching for answers in frustration. There is a lot of material&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"<a href=\"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/category\/sports-massage-therapist\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Sports Massage Therapist<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Ed Madeley","url":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/author\/mrosteo\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Ed Madeley","author_link":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/author\/mrosteo\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Have you ever found yourself fidgeting at night, unable to get to sleep? Do you have the irresistible urge to move your legs and \u2018\u2019scratch that itch\u2019\u2019? A lot of people are suffering from this, which is a very miserable experience because the uncontrollable urge has a huge negative impact on sleep quality. It may&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movementandwellbeingclinic.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}