Restless Legs Syndrome: Known Knowns and Known Unknowns

Although restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder, it remains poorly understood from both clinical and pathophysiological perspectives. RLS is classified among sleep-related movement disorders, namely, conditions characterized by simple, often stereotyped movements occurring during sleep. However, several clinical, neurophysiological and neuroimaging observations question this view. The aim of the present review is to summarize and query some of the current concepts (known knowns) and to identify open questions (known unknowns) on RLS pathophysiology. Based on several lines of evidence, we propose that RLS should be viewed as a disorder of sensorimotor interaction with a typical circadian pattern of occurrence, possibly arising from neurochemical dysfunction and abnormal excitability in different brain structures.

Our Acupuncture Experıences in Patıents with Remarkable Leg Syndrome: Pilot Study

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disease characterized by an undescribable abnormal sensation, a kind of dysesthesia, especially in the legs. It is characteristic for restless legs syndrome that the symptoms are circadian in nature, that is, they are more pronounced in the evening and at night, and occur or increase at rest. In response to these effects, when the effects of acupuncture on various systems and symptoms and the mechanisms of these effects are evaluated, the benefits of acupuncture in restless legs syndrome may be the subject of research. This study was carried out on patients who applied to Konya Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical Faculty Traditional and Complementary Medicine Center with the complaints of restless legs syndrome. In addition, nothing was requested from the participants. Informed consent form was obtained. Both body and ear acupuncture were applied for 10 sessions once a week. ST-33,34,35,GB-34, H-7LU-9,P-6,SI-3 points and shen-men,zero,knee on the ear , depression points were pricked. Electro acupuncture was applied for 20 minutes.) Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale questionnaire and john hopkins scale were applied to the participants before and after acupuncture. .Pittsburgh sleep quality index mean pre-acupuncture:35.5.Post acupuncture Pittsburgh sleep quality index mean:24. With the application of acupuncture, progress can be made in the treatment of restless legs syndrome that does not respond to conventional treatment.

Evaluation of Adolescents with Restless Legs Syndrome: Relation to School Success

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), which may be a missed diagnosis in children, is seen at an important frequency. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with RLS and to show the effect of RLS on school success. Forty-three patients with RLS and 43 healthy volunteers were included to the study. Blood samples were taken to measure ferritin. The averages of school exam scores were recorded. The patient group was classified as mild, moderate, severe, and very severe according to the RLS rating scale. The daytime sleepiness was measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The"Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S)" was completed by parents, and patients' inattention, and hyperactivity-impulsivity scores were compared with the control group. According to the RLS rating scale scores 25.6% (n:11) were evaluated as mild, 60.5% (n:26) were moderate and 14% (n:6) were severe. The mean ferritin level was significantly lower in the patient group. The mean score of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity in the patient group to be significantly higher than the control. The mathematics and science course mean grades were significantly lower in the patient group than the controls (66.7±17.7 vs 74.2±11.7). ESS scores were found to be significantly higher in the patient group. In this study, RLS has been found associated with ADHD and iron deficiency, similar to previous studies. There are not many studies on the effects of RLS in children on daily life and this study has objectively shown that RLS reduces patients' school achievement

The effect of progressive muscle relaxation on reducing restless legs syndrome among patients undergoing haemodialysis in a satellite/hospital unit in Indonesia

Introducción: La relajación muscular se considera una terapia alternativa para el síndrome de las piernas inquietas (SPI). Objetivo: Determinar el efecto de la relajación muscular progresiva (RMP) sobre el síndrome de piernasinquietas en pacientes sometidos a hemodiálisis. Metodología: Se llevó a cabo un estudio con diseño cuasi-experimental en la unidad de hemodiálisis. Lamuestra reclutada fue de 12 encuestados tanto en el grupo de intervención como en el de control, siendo elmuestreo de conveniencia. El instrumento de investigación utilizado fue la Escala Internacional del Grupo de Estudio del SPI. Resultados: En el grupo de intervención, las puntuaciones medias del SPI antes y después fueron de22,92 y 17,42, respectivamente. En el grupo de control, las puntuaciones medias del SPI antes y despuésde la intervención fueron de 24,33 y 23,50, respectivamente. La RPM fue eficaz para mejorar el SPI (p<0,005). Conclusión: La RMP podría ser una alternativa para reducir el SPI en pacientes sometidos a hemodiálisis. Se necesitan estudios futuros para aclarar los hallazgos utilizando métodos más robustos y un tamaño de muestra mayor.

Investigating the Effect of Cold Water Bags on the Severity of Restless Leg Syndrome and Sleep Quality in Hemodialysis Patients

Background: Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder in hemodialysis patients that causes disturbance and disability in rest, discomfort, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and stress. Objectives: This study was done to evaluate the effect of cold water bags on the severity of restless leg syndrome and sleep quality in hemodialysis patients. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study (before and after) performed on patients referring to three hospitals in Yazd province. In this study, 40 patients with restless legs syndrome were selected from all patients who were referred to the hemodialysis ward by simple random sampling. The samples completed the Restless Legs Syndrome Symptoms Severity Questionnaire before and after using the cold water bag. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software and descriptive statistics and paired t-test at the significance level of < 0.05. Results: This study showed a significant difference between the mean score of restless leg syndrome and sleep quality before and after the interventions (P = 0.000). Furthermore, the mean scores of restless leg syndrome and sleep quality were different between the two intervention groups and statistically significant (P = 0.000). Conclusions: Based on the results, using a water bag reduces the symptoms of restless leg syndrome. Therefore, it is suggested that cold water bags should be used as an effective, safe, low-cost method.