The Mayo Clinic defines restless leg syndrome as a condition that causes an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, usually because of an uncomfortable sensation. It typically happens in the evening or nighttime when you are sitting or lying down. Moving eases the unpleasant feeling temporarily.
Symptoms
The chief symptom of restless legs syndrome is an urge to move the legs. It's common to experience:
Uncomfortable sensations that begin while resting. A feeling in the legs typically begins after you've been lying down or sitting for an extended time. It might happen while sitting in a car, airplane, or movie theater.
Relief with movement. The sensation of RLS lessens with movement. Stretching, jiggling the legs, pacing, or walking may improve symptoms.
Worsening symptoms in the evening. Symptoms occur mainly at night.
Nighttime leg twitching. RLS may be associated with another, more common condition called periodic limb movement of sleep. This condition causes the legs to twitch and kick during sleep, possibly throughout the night.
People typically describe RLS symptoms as compelling, unpleasant feelings in the legs or feet. They usually happen on both sides of the body. Less commonly, the sensations affect the arms.
The sensations are felt within the leg rather than on the skin. They're described as:
Crawling.
Creeping.
Pulling.
Throbbing.
Aching.
Itching.
Electric.
Sometimes the feelings of RLS are hard to explain. People with RLS usually don't describe the condition as a muscle cramp or numbness. They do, however, consistently describe the desire to move their legs.
It's common for symptoms to get better and worse. Sometimes symptoms disappear for periods, then come back.
Anyone who has suffered from restless legs knows how uncomfortable it can be, making it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Often, there's no known cause for RLS. Researchers suspect the condition may be caused by an imbalance of the brain chemical; dopamine, which sends messages to control muscle movement.
In a 2023 study analyzing data collected between 2007 and 2022, researchers found that participants with RLS who received acupuncture treatment had significant improvements in factors such as sleep quality.
Acupuncture can help with balancing the body and give you relief, for more information you can read these articles: