Restless Leg Syndrome

Got new knee this October 9th and developed RLS

Any advise?

[Hidden]

Could your iron levels have dropped a bit through loss of blood in the operation? If so, supplement for a while with iron. Meanwhile ask for a serum ferritin test, or get one privately to guide your level of supplementation and make sure you don't overdo it.

Research operation/loss of blood/RLS on Google. There is a bell ringing in my head saying that this is a known phenomenon. But my head can get confused these days.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I will be going to quest diagnostics in January before my annual checkup. I'll talk to my doctor about adding this test. Thank you

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Or did you have spinal anaesthesia for the op?

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/124...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Slowly got off of pain killers as tramadol and perkoset as they stopped working. Now taking Requip 25 to 50 mg. seems to help a bit. Also take maloxican 15 mg

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I had a spinal

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

OK, well I think if you follow the link I posted above you'll see that your RLS may well be transient. Still worth supplementing a bit of iron though, or at any rate eating many steaks. Could you post if it stops in a few months? Just so future posters can see.

[JEMoore in reply to Hidden]

I was very anaemic after my hip op on meds for three months, its now a year later with no improvement with rls.

[Hidden in reply to JEMoore]

V sorry to hear this. Did you have RLS before the op? And do you know what your serum ferritin is now?

“The single most consistent finding and the strongest environmental risk factor associated with RLS is iron insufficiency…All studies to date support the concept of diminished brain iron in patients with RLS even when blood tests indicate that their iron stores are normal.” Johns Hopkins RLS centre.

Unfortunately it may be the case that damage is permanent, but it must be worth trying to raise serum ferritin if it is low in case it helps. It does in some cases. As you can see from my other posts here, there is debate about what the serum ferritin level might be raised to, but if I had RLS I would personally take it as high as possible within the safe limits laid down by the World Health Organisation, and then run it down if it didn't seem to help.

[Pippins2]

Unfortunately we hear all the time about surgery ramoing up RLS and studies into this are long overdue! Particularly after spinal, knee and hip surgery.Have you just stopped taking painkillers as that can set it off , painkiller withdrawal.Are you taking any medication?

[JEMoore]

Snap I had total hip replacement December 2014 restless legs have been a nightmare first started 1969, its worse now than any other time. Having other hip replaced 2016!!!!!!

[Hidden in reply to JEMoore]

Ok, I see one of my questions answered. It may be worth asking your GP for a serum ferritin test, getting your levels up before the next operation, and supplementing with iron after the operation, in the hope that your RLS at least does not worsen.