Advise needed

[Sarahjas6474]

Hi can i have some advise my partner has a funny sensation in his shin /thigh he says it feels anxious ? If that makes sense ,it is worse at nightine But during sleeping his legs constantly twitch or move does anyone know if these are symptoms of rls please he had chiropractor appointments as he thought he had a trapped nerve ,and he has even had antibiotics as he thought he had an infection and still the problem is there

[Kaarina Administrator]

Hi Sarah,

This link may help your partner regarding whether his symptoms are RLS or not.

rls-uk.org/diagnosis

This link is taken from rls-uk.org You may like to look at other sections on this website.

I hope this may be of some help.

[Madlegs1]

Sounds like he should see a neurologist . Who gave him antibiotics? And what was the reasoning behind that?

If it's one side only - it could be a meralgia. If both legs move at night , then its more likely to be Periodic Limb Movement Disorder or Syndrome - similar to RLS- but different . 😆

If moving the limb when "anxious" gives relief- then he has rls.

First thing to do is look up meds that trigger it- you'll find a list on that site Kaarina posted.

Also many foods trigger rls- just google that!

Has he had an operation recently?

I could also have suggested that if he plays soccer , then he should wear thicker shinpads to allay his shin's anxiety. -But I won't . 😆

Cheers.😎

[Sarahjas6474 in reply to Madlegs1]

Hi thanks for advise he has a very manual job he works digging holes for an power company , so uses his legs frequantily , he went to doctors and said he thought he had an infection as his leg felt like it had a burning painful achey sensation, he also said that he kept going dizzy and i said i wondered if he was lacking iron.

With regards to his legs at night he says the sensation gets worse if he lays on that side and he also is unaware he is shaking his legs during sleep , he also works long shifts and twice/ three times a week does a stanby shift which means he can be out from 10in morning till 7 the next morning , he is 44 yrs old

[Madlegs1 in reply to Sarahjas6474]

Check out" meralgia paraesthesia " , I have it in my left thigh- but not the shin.

Sounds very much like a nerve damage- something a bit like sciatica- radiating from L2/3 area.

Good luck.

[Sarahjas6474 in reply to Madlegs1]

Thanks just had a little read up , i also wonder when it mentioned trauma if about a year ago he started training for a charity cycle ride then he took part about 6months later it was a 60mile ride could that be the trama.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Sarahjas6474]

Unlikely - more like a constriction to the waist -tight belt or seatbelt in sudden car stop.☺

[lauraflora in reply to Sarahjas6474]

Anything that causes injury to the spine, and that goes for extra pressure on the bottom of the spine from sitting on a bicycle seat for such a long time, or in my case, falling on my tailbone and compressing the bottom quarter - can interrupt the normal flow of dopamine that goes thru the spine and down to the legs. Also, repetitive manual labour that stresses body parts on perhaps one side. (Tho exercise is good!)

While this alone is not the cause of RLS, it can make RLS worse. Some of us on here have found that stretching exercises and yoga, making sure to balance each side of the body, help to keep things flowing properly. I swear by my chiropractor and I do stretching by Miranda Esmonde-White. I take a few supplements, but in my own experience the Iron Bisglycinate 25mg, taken at night, is the most helpful to me.

FYI - I have had RLS in varying intensities since I was a child. I am now 65. I do find sometimes laying in one or other position in bed, that I can feel the RLS, so I just turn over and it goes away. In the past, I had some VERY BAD RLS, but now I seem to have it under control.

[lauraflora in reply to lauraflora]

I am not saying he actually has RLS, tho the description sounds like it could be. However, the things I wrote about above would be helpful to try whether it is RLS or not. I describe my RLS as an electrical tickle running thru my hip down my thigh - 90 % of the time on my left leg. It comes, if it is bad, every 15 or 20 seconds. If it is not so bad or if I change my position, maybe every few minutes or it goes away.

But really, it used to be REALLY BAD, now it is very minimal. Some nights I do not have it at all. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being worst) it often was 15. Now I would put it at 0 to 2. Just be aware that everyone is different.

[Zappa]

i do not think the symptom is RLS

[lauraflora]

It certainly sounds like RLS. One of the things that has helped several of us on here, and for which there is a lengthy post by Oolong and info from Whitebuffalo, is Iron bisglycinate. We take it at night, before bed, in a 25 mg dosage. This is because people with RLS have trouble with iron getting to their brains, which is where the problem starts. (Read the above posts and info.) Iron bisglycinate is easily absorbed, and does not cause constipation. The brand I use is Solgar. If one takes it earlier in the day, it will not still be active at night. So take it at night.

This is one of the first things to try, in my humble opinion. Give it a bit of time and go from there. But read those posts so you know what some of the experts are finding about RLS.

[lauraflora]

I am sort of surprised the chiropractor did not help. Tho not all of them are versed in treating RLS. Certainly if one's spine is out of alignment or pinching any nerves, this can make RLS worse. (I have a sacroiliac problem - tailbone- and when it is out of place my RLS will make itself known. Then I see my chiro and he puts it back in place. Otherwise, the iron seems to keep it in control and I hardly feel a flutter.)