I have had what I believe is RLS for many decades, mostly in my legs but occasionally in my arms as well, yet I have never seen a doctor about it nor have I ever taken drugs for it. It occurs mostly at night but may also crop up if/when I am forced to sit still for extended periods of time - theatre performances, airflights, etc.
Why?
Because a lot of years ago I found a remedy for it which works, for me, every time and within a matter of, at worst, minutes.
I have several tubular elastic athletic support bandages. As soon as I feel RLS coming on I slip on one of the bandages. If it is in my leg then I put one on so that the top of it comes just under my kneecap and encompasses, and gently squeezes, my upper calf.
If it's in an arm then a different sized one, starting just below my elbow and gently squeezing my forearm.
As I say, it works for me.
I've no idea if it works for anyone else.
I have told many people about it and asked, if they try it, to let me know if it does, or if it does not, work for them.
No-one has ever come back to me.
I would add a picture but it is not a photo and I'm not allowed to 'Paste' it!
It may not work, but it might. To get one bandage to give it a try would cost less than £5.00 from Boots.
Written by
Jayprime
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I'm really pleased that the compression bandage works for you. It has worked for a few people on here. However, I don't think it helps anyone with severe RLS. I tried them as I had read someone on here had success. It did nothing at all for my RLS.
However, it is definitely worth a try for people and, as you say, it's a cheap way to find out if it works or not.
It's not entirely on point but my mother is convinced that wearing compression tights during the day was very helpful for preventing RLS in the evenings.
Raffs - I experimented with putting the bandage over the knee, it didn't work anywhere near as well.
For me I find I need the bandage only over the top part of the Calf, just about touching the lower part of the kneecap.
As I said though, I don't know if it is just me or if it'll work for others, I just hope it will.
Good luck,
John
Hi Jayprime
I am new to this forum. Just reading through your posts and i feel sympathy for you.
I suffered from RLS since the age of 25 ( Am now 53). I saw a neuro doc about 16 years ago, who had me on Dopamine / levodopa. After reading about the side effects of the drugs, I stopped using them and decided to live with the condition. However a year on, I had some treatment done called NOT ( Neurological organisational technique). Nothing to be scared about and is quite relaxing and amusing. This helped me without any doubt and was almost free from RLS. However it made its return about 2 years later and i had another treatment of NOT. Again it relieved the symptoms, although I do experience it from time to time now, but very mildly in comparison. Since coming to the UK, I have struggled to find a good NOT therapist.
I now suppress the RLS by taking a 500mg Magnesium capsule when I go to bed at night if I feel the tingling is on its way. Literally when I lay in bed and the symptoms start, in goes the magnesium and within 5 mins I am sound asleep and have a good nights rest.
i am so pleased I got of the prescibed drugs and when listening to a TV programm last night, felt I had to share my experience.
I hope this may give some hope to others willing to try it.
I also joined following the Channel 5 programme, to let people know about my experiences with the compression bandages in case it might help them. I hope it might be of help to at least one or two.
Since being prescribed magnesium many years ago in Belgium, I very rarely have a problem. It is powder form Promagnor 450 although I only take half sachet. I take it for a week and then have a break for a week. If I ever feel painful restless legs coming on I take half a sachet and the effect is almost immediate. I don't find the tablets as effective and no one in UK seems to have the powders so I order online.
I used the compression bandages years ago, and they worked for me back then, they had to be very tight to relief the sensations. My RLS was some what milder then as they dont work now.
I have used elastic bandages for years. Initially, wrapping them around my calves was all that was needed to control symptoms. Now that I've had RLS for decades, they are no longer sufficient in themselves, but I still need them. There's something about the light pressure and warmth that makes a significant difference. I'd like to try those tubes, though, as the elastic bandages tend to unwind themselves during the night. Where does one find them?
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