Self cures

[happylegs]

I've had 2 types of RLS for many years and have found cures for both of them.

1. Legs, shoulders or even whole body jerks madly & uncontrollably. I found that, when this starts to come on, it goes away if I tense the muscles in the affected part as hard as I can for a few seconds. The RLS may reappear once or twice but rentensing the muscles does stop it.

2. A vague feeling of restlessness in the legs so that I just can't keep them still. Stroking the effected area for a while (a few seconds to a couple of minutes) gets rid of it. (I also find this helps for arthritis.)

These are 2 cures I've found for myself; you may find similar ones for you.

[Pippins2]

Hi happylegs! Love the name.The involuntary movements sound more like PLMD .All RLS movements are voluntary .Glad you have found something to help you.There are 2 types of RLS..Primary which is genetic and Secondary which is caused by things such as meds ,pregnancy ,low ferratin iron and kidney disease.What you are describing is PLMD(Periodic Limb Movement Disorder) and RLS.Around 80 percent of those with RLS also have PLMD.It usually happens whilst asleep but rarely it can happen awake.Should you have the urge to move accompanying the symptoms you have in number 1 then that would come under RLS.If you dont have the urge to move then it sounds like PLMD.Other conditions can mimic PLMD so always best to get it checked out by a doctor.

[happylegs in reply to Pippins2]

Hi there. I'd not heard of PLMD but it seems a possibility. I don't notice it while I'm asleep of course but maybe I'm one of the rare ones that gets it while awake.

[nightdancer in reply to happylegs]

I am glad you have found something that helps you, but we really hesitate to use the word cure, since there is no cure, only treatments. Cure infers or implies that RLS would go away and never come back. That is not so, but the treatments or tricks that you use are great if they work for you. Pippin describes the 2 kinds of RLS, so not sure what you mean by "2 kinds of RLS" , happylegs. PLMD is involuntary movements, mostly while sleeping, sometimes when awake which is much rarer. Periodic Leg Movements Disorder. RLS is totally voluntary movements, as in you have to have the URGE to move your legs that you cannot ignore while awake. But, your first one that you described sounds way too "violent" to be PLMD and are involuntary movements, so is not RLS in the traditional meaning of the disease. There are many conditions that can be mistaken for RLS. Involuntary jerks, and you are using the word uncontrollable, is not RLS. Myoclonic jerks or PLMD while awake, or several other things could be mistakenly called RLS. And, there are all kinds of different levels of severity of RLS. So, what you are doing is a "treatment" or "trick" you use for your movements, but something is only cured if it never comes back. Have you ever been on any meds? You do not mention that, so just wondering. Will say that you can usually tell if you are getting PLMD while you are sleeping, the blankets will usually be messed up, or your sleep partner may be the one who complains about your kicking in your sleep, if you have a partner. Mine was so bad, my dog would not even sleep with me any more while the poor thing was still here. PLMD is picked up on a sleep study, must be rhythmic movements. Depending on how many times you kick in you sleep, you can kind of feel it in the morning. You can sleep right thru the involuntary movements of PLMD, the RLS is what causes you to HAVE to move.

[Mopsy1950]

I have found rolling on the floor on certain muscles where my legs are playing up does help,( sometimes) but I need the hard surface ,not in bed plus taking my tablets ,you are very lucky if you have found something for you that works ,believe me I think most people will agree we try anything and every thing that might work

[Bajatom]

My RLS varies over time. When the creepy crawly feeling in legs and hands is not too strong I can reduce or eliminate it enough to fall asleep by gently curling my toes and fingers back and forth as I count slowly backwards from 99 down. Most nights I need 300 mg Gabapentin to do the job. Then of course there are nights when nothing works and I give up and go look at the night sky.

[GoAwayRLS]

I'm glad it works for u. I have tried both in the past but it doesn't help me for long. Sometimes lying on my tummy doing muscle squeezing exercises helps divert me enough to fall asleep. When I wake after that the rls episode has passed for the night.