Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a condition where a person's legs become twitchy or painful when they are at rest. This is a common condition for pregnant women, but can also affect other people. The symptoms, which can range from burning to a feeling of having your leg "fall asleep" to an uncontrollable urge to move, affect all people at different rates of intensity. Symptoms can be managed through various means.
Prevention
Prevention can mean a relief from symptoms for most patients diagnosed with RLS. Maintaining plenty of exercise during the day can help leg muscles relax in the evenings. In addition, patients with RLS should avoid drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, as well as consuming tobacco products. Some patients find that taking a hot bath or using a heated pad at night before bed can calm their muscles and relieve symptoms. Other patients may need to take a supplement for iron deficiency, which can often be an underlying cause of RLS.
Underlying Conditions
Many cases of RLS are the result of another underlying condition. Doctors attempt to identify these underlying conditions in order to pinpoint the exact cause of the RLS symptoms. Aside from low iron count, some RLS patients suffer from neuropathy or diabetes. Treating these conditions often minimizes the RLS symptoms as well, and in general more treatment options exist for conditions other than RLS.
Some patients with RLS have irregular sleep patterns or sleeping disorders. Treating these disorders and maintaining a consistent sleep pattern or habit can also reduce or eliminate RLS symptoms.
Medical Treatment Options
Doctors may choose from a variety of medical treatments for RLS. Dopaminergic agents are at the forefront of these choices; these medications are usually prescribed for Parkinson's Disease and have also been successful in treating RLS.
Doctors may also prescribe Benzodiazepines for RLS. These depressants will help patients sleep better at night, but may also cause drowsiness during the day. For severe cases of RLS, however, these medications are unlikely to be successful; doctors generally only prescribe them for patients with mild or occasional RLS symptoms.
For pregnant women with RLS, treatment is generally mild. Doctors will not usually prescribe medication, but rather suggest massaging the legs, walking around at night, getting exercise during the day or taking iron supplements. Fortunately for these patients, the RLS symptoms tend to disappear after childbirth. For all other RLS cases, the condition is permanent and actually worsens over time.
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