Things to use

[Coraliej]

Hi, has anyone used an excercise bike, vibration plate, or other equipment to stimulate the leg muscles to aid rls, or just calf stretches and other exercises? I would like to stop my rls naturally and not take the Modapar 125 the doctor recommends. I LIVE IN Australia

[Madlegs1]

Hi naybor. I'm in New Zealand for the next few days- so- gday!

Everything has been tried, with varying degrees of success.

Rls is such an individual experience, so each person's response to a medication or activity appears to be different.

Basically, whatever works for you- go for it.

It doesn't matter a whit whether it's scientifically proven or placebo. If it works, it works.

All the best.

[involuntarydancer in reply to Madlegs1]

Whereabouts in NZ are you Madlegs? My brother is in Nelson - though actually as I think of it he probably isn't any more because he's due back in Dublin tomorrow so is most likely currently in transit.

[Madlegs1 in reply to involuntarydancer]

That's a goodun. I've been near Wellington. Upper Hutt ,to be exact. Heading back to Dublin tomorrow, Sunday here!

[Allyp69]

I found that using my rowing machine or doing any walking exercise helps....But just sitting, watching TV or in a theatre is the worst thing for me. All medication has side effects and can't be good long term.

[Coraliej in reply to Allyp69]

So is reading in bed🙁

[Hidden]

Hi Coraliej,

Yes my power/ vibration plate is fantastic & stops my RLS in its tracks. Please see my main post from about 10 days ago...

Hope it can help you too!

[Coraliej in reply to Hidden]

Thanks will check it out. Is there a photo.....is it one you stand on?

[Hidden in reply to Coraliej]

Mine is the Crazy Fit Vibe Pro but there are lots of different makes & models to choose from. Yes you stand on it, I find knees bent is best :).

I also have a smaller portable one without armrests but this one doesn't really reach the vibration speed necessary to alleviate the RLS fully.

Photos & reviews can be found on Google & they can be bought & compared on ebay.

Hope this helps!

[Coraliej in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, so would you say the stronger the motor the better. Some have 1000 watts and one had 4,200 watts in the portable pads

[Hidden in reply to Coraliej]

Yes, the speed of my large one goes up to 70 whereas the portable one is alot gentler with a maximum vibration speed of 20.

Many gyms have them as they are good for blood circulation & weight loss - perhaps you could try one before buying?

[Alex2308]

Aside from Phenibut and Alimemazine (both without a risk of augmentation) I don't use any drugs. From my experience any exercise involving your legs helps. You just need to fatigue your leg muscles and then you can sleep. Sit ups i.e. body weight squats work very well. I've been doing them for years. And now to fatigue my legs I have to do up to a hundred sit ups in one go. So I switched to one legged sit ups, standing in a doorway and holding both sides of the door frame. Recently I also bought a vibration plate and also very much satisfied with effect.

[Coraliej in reply to Alex2308]

Thank you. I’m in Australia so I will check those meds out. Are they over the counter? JoLizzy mentioned a vibration plate too, but am not familiar with the term.

[Eryl]

If you only use the exercise bike gently, then both are just distraction techniques and you will notice the rls soon after you stop. If however you put enough effort into riding the exercise bike to make you breathless, your muscles will consume more blood sugar, which a lot of people are finding is the cause of their rls. I do real cycling, which is far more interesting and can be a social, carbon and cost saving activity. Of course another thing you can do is avoid foods and drinks with added sugar or refined carbs. That's what I've done and these days very rarely suffer from even mild rls.

[Coraliej in reply to Eryl]

Thank you. We have been following the Plant Paradox protocol which is low carb, no sugar or grains or legumes or nightshades, as hubby had bowel cancer. My RLS is a result of coming off Tramadol.

It is not abating.

[Eryl in reply to Coraliej]

I'm keeping fairly close to the Wahls Protocol, which was developed by an MS survivor. - and I've never taken meds for rls!

[Coraliej in reply to Eryl]

I will definitely look at that too. How bad was your RLS before?

[Eryl in reply to Coraliej]

Not as bad as some have it, but some people noticed that in the evenings, I often couldn't sit still, I would have to open and clench my fist and flex my fingers to give myself some relief, and when I went to bed I would have to flex my elbows an curl my toes until I finally fell asleep.

[DicCarlson]

My severe RLS came on as I was training for a bicycle race. The day before the race I rode a short, steep ride and crushed it. I came home, ate a large plate of pasta and went to bed. Less than 2 hours I was up - RLS in both legs and arms. I couldn't do the race. I had no idea what it was! Months later I discovered iron supplementation (ferrous bisglycinate) to relieve the RLS. Longer, more strenuous bike rides exasperated the RLS and I toned down the bicycling to a 45 min low angle ride with low heart rates.

[involuntarydancer]

There are quite a few people who report that a vibration plate is helpful - in fact I have yet to read someone who has tried a vibration plate and not found it helpful. I am very tempted to try to source a second hand one myself for that reason. Yoga stretches are definitely helpful and sometimes afford up to an hour of symptom free rest. Other than those, proceed carefully - as DicCarlson indicates, exercise that might help some will exacerbate symptoms in another. I too find that long hours cycling can irritate the legs - as can any form of exercise engaged in too enthusiastically.

[Coraliej in reply to involuntarydancer]

Will have to go slowly if I get an exercise bike I think as I’ve also had a lower back operation for spondylolisthesis. I’m looking at second hand vibration pads now😊

[involuntarydancer in reply to Coraliej]

I have seen somewhere that it is possible to rent them (and if it's possible to rent them here in Ireland it is likely to be achievable elsewhere in the world) - or you could try one in your local gym if you don't fancy the cost and - almost worse - the amount of space they take up in the house.

Do post if you get one - I've seen a number of positive comments from RLS sufferers.

[Coraliej in reply to involuntarydancer]

Thank you . Am having a loan of a vibrating pad atm and seeing if that helps. Just starting today.

[involuntarydancer in reply to Coraliej]

Would be interested to hear how you get on with it.

[Hidden in reply to Coraliej]

Please post on here how you get on. Good luck!

[Hidden]

Hi! I use an exercise bike a lot (spinning class). I have found it helpful.

[Coraliej in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Is spinning class doing spins as in the 5 Tibetan exercises or rites...a very interesting read too.

[Hidden in reply to Coraliej]

Hi again! I’ve never heard of those, so I’ll have to look them up. A spin bike is a more technical stationary bike. You can increase/decrease the effort by which you do revolutions and you can monitor your heart rate with the help of a pulse monitor. In spin class you are mimicking an outdoor bike ride with varying elevation rises; my instructors are really good at making it seem real! It’s the ultimate bike ride since you sweat a lot.

[Coraliej in reply to Hidden]

Oh ok. Spins the with 5Tibetan rites is standing and spinning to the Right with arms outstretched . Slowly building up to 21 revolutions each day. Great for core and balance.

[Hidden]

I was told by my doctor that exercise bikes won't do much good - that I must walk or jog, ie, where my feet actually strike the ground. He swore that is the much better way to combat the RLS symptoms. Of course, a treadmill would be ideal too.