Legs are not just mere skeletal designs of your body. They play a crucial role in your daily mobility and physical balance. Without your legs, you can't chase your dreams or run in the sprint of your ambitions. As the primary mode of transportation, the health of your legs should not be overlooked.
Nowadays, many people still neglect the issues of leg health - either people don't want to talk about it, or people concentrate more on facial beauty. As the leg health issue becomes more exclusive, more and more people hide their fears and keep their complications left untreated.
In worst-case scenarios, what will you do when your legs become immovable due to an uncomfortable sensation? How will you fight against a severe muscle cramps in the middle of your sleep?
Don't allow Restless Leg Syndrome to be your pillow at night. In this article, we will teach you how to prevent Restless Leg Syndrome through understanding its nature, causes, and remedies.
What is Restless Leg Syndrome?
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), or also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a neurologic sensorimotor disorder causing an intense and irresistible urge to move your legs, arms, or even your body during your sleep.
RLS may happen because of mental health or physical conditions, or is caused by adverse effects of some medications.
RLS can affect your daily mindset and your comfort, as it leads to mild complications - particularly on your lack of sleep - which affects your mental concentration and mood swings.
Leading causes of RLS are iron insufficiency, abnormalities of dopamine level, and varicose veins.
If you are suffering from RLS, have your immediate screening and consultation with Elite Vein Clinic to examine the venous insufficiency in your legs through ultrasound imaging. Don't let RLS get worse. Get your consultation today!
What are the symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome?
The occurrence of the symptoms of RLS is mysterious and surprising. It can happen anywhere at any time - whether you're sitting in a confined space with your awakened presence, or whether you've fallen asleep.
People with RLS feel uncomfortable sensations in their legs, during sitting or lying down, accompanied by an irresistible urge to move the affected limb, as suggested by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
A simple muscle cramp and a quick tingling sensation does not qualify as Restless Leg Syndrome. People who have experienced RLS have described the pain as sensational, burning, aching, crawling, creeping, itching, tugging, tingling, similar to electric shocks - which occurs repetitively or longer than seconds.
How many people have Restless Leg Syndrome?
Approximately 10% of the people in the United States are suffering from RLS. According to WebMD, the occurrence of RLS is more common in women than in men, and middle-aged people are prone to experience the symptoms.
What are the Leading Causes of Restless Leg Syndrome?
Up to this day, medical researchers and universities are still looking for the root cause of Restless Leg Syndrome. In other words, the definite cause of RLS is still unknown. However, there are three probable causes of RLS:
Iron Insufficiency
Iron insufficiency remains the strongest and most consistent finding that caused Restless Leg Syndrome. Research suggests that people living with RLS have lower iron content or substantia nigra in the brain, compared to normal individuals.
The substantia nigra is one of the primary brain regions where dopamine production takes place. If it has lower iron levels, the worse the symptoms will be. Thus, when there is a diminished iron and iron storage protein and iron insufficiency in the dopamine cells, RLS can occur.
Abnormalities of Dopamine Levels
In RLS, there is a decrease form of dopamine receptors and increase numbers of proteins associated with producing dopamine (tyrosine hydroxylase). This means that there is a malfunction of dopamine receptors that bind the dopamine and transmit dopamine signals to other cells.
The abnormal increase of dopamine is harmful since it complicates the brain cells, responding to a poor signal. That's why brain cells behaved abnormally during the day time or nighttime, leading to the development of RLS symptoms.
Varicose Veins
Varicose veins develop when the valves within veins collect and create a pool of blood. It causes swelling, aching, pain, and a feeling of heaviness in the legs and feet during nighttime. As varicose veins build fluid and toxins, especially at the end of the day or during at night, RLS occurs, giving you a gradual leg pain and uncomfortable sensation.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 98 percent of patients affected by RLS were relieved after minimally invasive sclerotherapy procedures. Researchers also linked the likelihood of pain caused by varicose veins and restless leg syndrome.
How can you treat Restless Leg Syndrome?
Vein Treatment
Varicose vein treatment can relieve the pain and tingling sensations of RLS. The venous insufficiency affects the flow of blood in the blood vessels in the leg. That's why people living with RLS need to have a consultant screening regarding varicose veins.
Sclerotherapy - a non-invasive varicose veins treatment where your doctor injects a sclerosant directly into the affected vein or lymph vessels. The sclerosant solution minimally scars the vein, causing it to collapse, then forces blood to reroute its flow to make healthier veins.
Radiofrequency Ablation - During RFA, your doctor treats the varicose veins using radiofrequency waves to ablate or "burn" the nerve that causes the numbing pain. The thermal energy, which the radiofrequency gives off, will burn the walls of the vein. As a result, the ablated vein will be reabsorbed by the body and disappear.
Laser Ablation - As the name implies, laser ablation involves laser energy to remove and treat venous diseases. Your doctor inserts a laser fiber into the catheter then heats the affected blood vessels.
Home Treatment
Home treatments are effective when properly and regularly executed. Through proper diet and best sleeping routines, you can reduce the symptoms and pain caused by RLS.
Stretch before bedtime - RLS commonly occurs during nighttime. Its hallmark symptom creates a strong urge to move the legs when you're asleep. Hence, adopting a regular stretching routine, such as leg elevation, will regulate the blood flow of your legs before going to sleep.
Eliminate caffeine - Caffeine is a trigger to RLS, particularly that its effects may last up to 12 hours. Not only does it give you temporary energy during the daytime, but it disturbs your sleep at nighttime. That's why you need to avoid energy drinks, soda, chocolate, or tea, which has a hidden caffeine.
Regular physical exercise - Exercise remains to be the best way to regulate your blood pressure and normalize your dopamine levels. It allows your concentration to balance and relaxes your breathing. By producing sweat through a 30-minute exercise, your legs may feel relieved, getting you a good night sleep. However, you need to consult with your doctor to have a safe engagement in physical activity.
Drug Approved Treatment
Your doctor's prescription matters in your daily medication for Restless Leg Syndrome, most especially that some medications cause unfavorable side effects.
Always take note that these drug-approved medications do not cure RLS, but only relieve the triggering symptoms. These following medications are commonly prescribed by doctors:
Dopamine agents and agonists - these drug-approved medications increase and normalize the dopamine levels in the brain. For instance, drugs such as pramipexole (Mirapex), ropinirole (Requip), and Sinemet will help the brain to improve leg sensations in RLS.
However, these drug medications have minimal side effects, including daytime sleepiness, nausea, hallucinations, involuntary movements, vomiting, and lightheadedness.
Opioids - A classic medication also used in Parkinson's Disease, Opioids attach specific molecules called opioid receptors - a nerve cell that decreases the amount of a person's feeling of pain. Today, narcotic medications are available as over-the-counter drugs that need a doctor's prescription, including codeine, oxycodone (Oxycontin, Roxicodone, and hydrocodone (Hysingla ER, Zohydro ER).
Pain killers and muscle relaxants - taking Ibuprofen - a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) will help alleviate and manage your pain, particularly that Ibuprofen blocks the prostaglandins. Prostaglandins trigger RLS by giving off painful and inflamed sensations. However, you need to consult your doctor about taking ibuprofen and its side effects.
Key Takeaways
Legs are not just mere skeletal designs of your body. It plays a crucial role in your daily mobility and physical balance. While others still overlook the leg health issues, more and more people hide their conditions and keep their complications left untreated.
One of the leg complications that disturbs 10 percent of the American population is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). RLS, or also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a neurologic sensorimotor disorder causing sensational, burning, aching, crawling, creeping, itching, tugging, tingling, similar to electric shocks - which occurs repetitively or longer than seconds.
The occurrence of the symptoms of RLS is mysterious and surprising. It can happen anywhere at any time - whether you're sitting in a confined space with your awakened presence, or whether you've fallen asleep.
Up to this day, the root cause of RLS is still unknown. However, medical researchers have identified three leading causes of RLS, including the Iron Insufficiency, Abnormalities of Dopamine Levels, and Varicose Veins.
How do you treat Restless Leg Syndrome?
You have three options to treat RLS, depending on your doctor’s prescription:
- You may avail vein treatment by sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, or laser ablation;
- You may subscribe to home treatment by having a stretch before bedtime, eliminate caffeine consumption, and regular physical exercise; or
- You may take drug-approved medications through dopamine agents and agonists, opioids, pain killers, and muscle relaxants.
This is a guest blog entry.
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