Massaging RLS areas

[Helengreenland]

Hi, When my husband massages whatever area on my legs are playing up with RLS the area is really painful when he massages it , Anyone know why this is ? as the same area is not painful if it is not affected by the RLS ,

[Accipiter]

Although not researched, these are trigger points. You can also find a sensitive point along the bone where the nerve leads to the muscle.

My trigger points are caused by oxalates, and physical treatments can prevent and relieve RLS symptoms.

[Hidden]

Without further detail it's difficult to say what's causing this.

It may be that there's something else going on.

Whereas RLS is largely associated with motor nerves, i.e. nerves going from the brain to muscles, pain is a sensation and is associated with nerves going from body tissues to the brain.

Both sets of nerves can be oversensitive. There may be some conditions where both are affected and some of these are associated with RLS.

Having tenderness in specific areas can be a sign of neuropathy and peripheral neuropathy can cause RLS.

I do have spinal neuropathy and sometimes have spontaneous pain in specific areas. Sometimes, the same area is also tender when I press it. This is because the sensory nerve from that area is oversensitive due to geing compressed as it enters my spinal column.

Another condition is fibromyalgia, which has some association with RLS and is a condition in which there are tender points or trigger points. In fibromyalgia however they are quite sharply defined spots and tend to occur in specific parts of the body.

It doesn't sound like you have fibromyalgia however..

Some people with RLS do exoerience pain simply as part of their RLS. They often describe this as a deep ache.

[bookish in reply to Hidden]

Hi, as far as I know, doctors are now less likely to use tender or trigger points for fibro diagnosis. Fibro can be body wide and isn't only about pain. US diagnostic criteria changed in 2010. The other thing that may be worth considering is that 50% of fibro cases are believed to actually be caused by Small Fibre Neuropathy which can cause far wider symptoms, and can be treated, especially if you can find your specific cause/s. The nerves can be being triggered by mast cell degranulation and histamine release - histamine triggers nerves, nerves trigger histamine, oestrogen worsens the lot. I have had pain in all the 'trigger point' areas (and lots of others) since I was 12 and was eventually given a fibro diagnosis, but now diagnosed with SFN. RLS was (years ago) but is no longer part of my picture. I am investigating and working on underlying causes. Cheers

[Hidden in reply to bookish]

I think you may be right Helengreenlands' symptoms sound more like SFN.

Even if trigger points were still considered as a necessary part of fibromyalgia, she writes of "areas" rather than points.

Good luck with finding an undetlying cause.

[bookish in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Best wishes to you, too x