Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder, which often appears in otherwise healthy people, and is not related to emotional or psychiatric disorders. As the name implies this disorder affects the legs but it can involve the arms as well. People experience a restless sensation in many different ways, but all describe a particularly uncomfortable sensation in the muscles of the affected limbs whenever they try to relax in either a sitting or lying position. The sensation is relived by moving or walking, or in extreme cases my application of warm soaks or a hot bath. The sensation can be very painful and frequently leads to problems falling asleep because of the inability to "relax." Careful questioning will differentiate the pain of leg cramps and the pins and needles sensation that diabetics or other patients with "peripheral neuropathies" experience.