Anyone else have to sit cross-legged?

[ookla]

I'm not sure if this is another symptom of my RLS, but I find it impossible to sit in a chair and keep my feet flat on the floor. Or sit on the couch with my legs straight on the foot rest. I find I always have to sit cross-legged. And since I'm sitting almost all day long at work, all that cross-leg time hurts my knees. Does anyone else have this "symptom?" If so, what do you do about it?

[patchworker]

By cross legged, do you mean just resting one foot across the other, or do you mean that extremely uncomfortable position where knees are wide apart and bent as far as they can go, and ankles crossed?

[ookla in reply to patchworker]

I think it's also called "indian style"(?)

[Hidden]

Hi Ookia,

I have read your question on sitting cross-legged and have seen some of the replies, and I know that when I have RLS I cannot sit down at all, I have to get up and walk around and immediately take a Ropinirole which takes a while to work, and then I can sit down for a while, I find RLS so frustrating and annoying, as their are times that I am absolutely cream crackered and need to sit down, but it is like my body or mind knows that's what I want to do, so quite quickly after sitting down, RLS starts up, and it is soooo uncomfortable that I just have to get up and walk around.

I have tried all sorts of different positions and have not come up with anything comfortable, so like all of us, we just have to soldier on and do the best we can. If I had to hang upside down from the ceiling I would do that if I got some relief.

I hope that you will find a comfortable position soon, as being at work sitting down all day, it must be difficult for you. What sort of job do you do?

TakeCare.

Widgeylegs

[ookla in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the reply. I'm an Operations Manager - I'm in charge of the day-to-day commercial aspects of a small company... I get to work from home, which is nice (can't beat the hours or the food ;).

[Hidden in reply to ookla]

Wow OOkia, that's awesome that you can work from home, ironically that is what I have been chasing this morning, trying to find any Secretarial or Administrative work to do from Home. I am not reliable enough to go out into the Big World, but if I could work from home, I could do a sterling job, as I could get up and walk around and take what medication I needed when I wanted to. How did you find your job, it sounds great.

I could really do with some help finding a job that I could do from home. I love nothing more than being up in my office doing all the paperwork, paying bills, sending texts, typing up my Grandson's thesis etc.

I am so glad that I responded to your question today, it was funny, it was meant to be, as it was the first one on my email box this morning.

Take Care.

[ookla in reply to Hidden]

I didn't always get to work from home. I started working for the company part time through school, then went full time after I graduated. I've been working here in some capacity since 1995. I've only been working from home since 2010.

[Cajunfilly in reply to Hidden]

I am the same way. I can feel so tired and sleepy, but my legs and butt are so miserable when I sit down. The only brief relief is bouncing my knees up and down while I sit, which doesn't always help. I am not allowed to take Ropinirole during the day because it makes me sleepy. I am on Gabinpentin during the day. It is not helping much since it is the lowest dose. I have started taking magnesium which helps.

I can't sit with my knees crossed because I have gained too much weight. I can cross my ankles if my legs are not bothering me.

[ookla in reply to Cajunfilly]

I do the leg bouncing up and down, too. I'm currently on mirapex, but it doesn't help at all (has actually been making my daytime symptoms worse, along with making me sleepy and giving me headaches). I was taking gabapentin at night to help me sleep, but it wasn't helping during the day (and the higher the dose of Gabapentin, the more you get brain fog). I'm actually going to call my doctor in a few minutes and tell him the mirapex didn't work and see what else he wants to try. Hopefully whatever comes next is more effective... or at least has less side effects.

[Cajunfilly in reply to ookla]

I certainly don't need brain fog. I am trying to use supplements to help me instead of increasing my meds. Best wishes for success, Ookia.

[ookla in reply to Cajunfilly]

Thank you. The supplements didn't work for me. I'm glad you're getting some relief from them.

[Rubylane25 in reply to Hidden]

I have found that if I lay on the floor and push my butt near the wall, place my feet on the wall and push really hard with my feet. It tends to help a little especially when I am do dam tired walking seems almost to difficult. It is almost like using the wall to push the RLS out thru your feet (sort of) !

[dangermouse]

My restless legs turn into restless feet if I'm sitting down for any length of time. It's as if I'm listening to music in my head and having to tap them to the rhythm, or on a piano, furiously working the pedals. I've got good calf muscles as a result!

[ookla in reply to dangermouse]

Congrats on the calves, way to find the silver lining!

[dangermouse]

You have to don't you ? There are precious few !

I'd trade the Fatima Whitbread calves for some respite from RLS.

[Hidden]

yes, in the last couple of weeks I had a very difficult time in the office and I found that sitting on the lotus position I could resist longer

[blacknwhitecat]

I have found, late in the evening the ol' RLS rears it's ugly head & then I have to start the bounce & the rubbing the calves with my hands...... for me it is definitely how & what I sit ON !......Having come back home to the States recently, the sofa in my TV room is heaven & I stretch out on there, to watch a 2 hour movie without any trouble !!!!!!

Kitchen chairs & rocker not so good....will still keep on promoting the Hylands lil' pills hoping perhaps I can help SOMEONE !

My hubby & I have meticulously copied down the ingredients with magnifying glass, in case anyone want to know.......thinking& praying for all sufferers out there!

[ookla in reply to blacknwhitecat]

Stretching out on the couch for me is as bad as stretching out in bed... still have to twist and turn and rub and bounce and clench/unclench my leg muscles (anything except sit still) - i called my doctor this morning, but he's apparently not in on monday's, so i guess i'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what med he thinks we should try next. i tried all the "restful legs" and "magnesium" supplements without any luck. It really sucks that there isn't just one "magic" pill that helps all of us long-term without too many negative side effects.

[Cajunfilly in reply to ookla]

I could have written the same script except that I have had relief from magnesium in the past.

[blacknwhitecat]

Yeah! ONE day, the scientists will BREED it out of us, you know, find things all the things that humans find so hard to deal with & just eliminate them before we're born !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not in our lifetimes unfortunately tho !

[nabinnyc]

Hi Ookla!

I did a google search to see if i could find an answer to my problem. If I had found somewhere to put my question it would have been word for word what you said without the "RLS" part. I don't think I have RLS, but it's not impossible. For ages, I've always only been comfortable sitting "Indian style" - friends called me Indy in high school... that was 20 years ago. Now my knees hurt more and more and I'm just going back and forth between uncomfortable positions and looking for answers. It's worse in the winter because I hate having sweaty slipper feet and I can keep my feet warm if I'm cross legged LOL!

It feels like the tendons and ligaments surrounding my knee have been overstretched. I am studying to be an exercise physiologist and embarking on an exercise and flexibility program that may help. A lot of times, weaknesses and imbalances in muscle strength can cause all sorts of wonky pain, spasms, and whatnot. Doctors have said that I have had mild patellofemoral syndrome from weaknesses in my quadriceps muscles (thigh) and imbalances with my hamstrings. It might not be a bad idea to have it checked out to make sure there's no damage or chronic inflammation. Anyway, if I have any luck, I'll share my experiences. Better still would be if I could find some actual science to back up my findings! Best of luck and happy holidays.