What chair helps RLS

[Suzjam]

Do anyone knows what’s the best chair to sit on, which helps RLS, I find if I am sitting on a dinner table chair, it’s a lot better, but not that comfy, looking for a chair that I can chill, any ideas please and thank u

[hausbauer]

Same as you, I found that sitting on a dinner table chair is best for me. Sitting or half lying on a sofa or similar in a relaxed manner, was/is not possible. Also being in a car next to the driver was triggering Rls after some time.

When watching TV I take the chair and my husband the sofa. I did not find a better solution.

[dlr222]

I read in another forum that a woman had not had rls in the car and she thought it was because of the cushion she sat on. I realized I had not had rls in the car since getting the cushion for my car so thought maybe that was why. You might try putting a cushion on the dining room chair and see how it works. It cost $25 US.

"Memory Foam Seat Cushion Chair Pad 18 x 16 x 3in. with Washable Cover, for Relief and Comfort

"

[Suzjam in reply to dlr222]

Cool thank you, might give it a go x

[BJamn]

I have found some chairs to tend to cause my RLS to act up. We built a house with a theater room. Unfortunately, after that trouble and expense, the seating we installed seems to exacerbate my RLS considerably. If I spend an evening watching a two hour movie I can almost guarantee that my night will be miserable. My best seating arrangement is an unpadded barstool of all things. I suppose I should take the barstool into the theater room and try watching a movie that way. On a different topic the intensity of a movie may also effect my RLS.

[Hidden]

Sorry for the belated response.

It's just a theory but generally speaking RLS symptoms occur when you're most relaxed, e.g. sitting in a relaxed posture or lying down.

Relaxed means "low muscle tone".

Therefore sitting in a comfortable chair where you can relax means that your muscle tone will lower. and this may trigger symptoms.

However, if you sit on an uncomfortable chair or one where you have to retain some muscle tone to avoid sliding or falling off the chair, then you are less l.ikely to get symptoms.

A hard dining chair with no cushion and no arms would seem to be best in that case.

Sitting on a ball might be even better!

[grandpianoman]

I have found that hard chairs are least likely to initiate RLS symptoms, but there's more. First, I can often sit for a good while in a leather chair if I bend my knees and put my feet up on the ottoman and don't let the back of my thighs touch the chair. I think that's because the leather-covered furniture is not as soft as usual upholstered furniture. Soft chairs are simply not an option, but wood gets uncomfortable after a while, so the leather is an effective and welcome compromise. Even so, after sitting on wood or leather, if and when RLS starts, I move around for a bit and then successfully return to sitting, if I need to.

It seems that if the back of my thighs rests on a chair or vehicle seat, my legs will soon start. Therefore, even at my dining table or computer desk, I have a low stool for my feet which raises my knees just high enough so that my thighs don't touch my chair. Just my rear end does. That actually works for me.

In my vehicle, I sit on a very firm cushion which raises me high enough so that the back of my thighs does not touch the vehicle seat. That makes a huge difference when I drive. There's something about the thighs. If I am somewhere without a cushion, I simply sit at the end of the chair seat so my thighs don't rest on any surface, and I can sit for much longer that way without any issues.

I also learned that when RLS symptoms start while sitting, such as when traveling in a vehicle, a tennis ball put under the thigh at the point where the "tightness" is greatest, if it's done as soon as symptoms start, will often cause the symptoms to disappear. My vehicle is stocked with tennis balls so I don't have to stop and walk around before I can continue driving to my destination. One can also use a lightly padded thick rod of some kind--maybe 2" diameter. The advantage is that a rod will work on both thighs simultaneously, if both legs act up. For me, only one leg bothers me at a time.

[LotteM in reply to grandpianoman]

Interesting observations and solutions, grandpianoman!

[Suzjam]

Thank u very much for your help, will have a go 😁