Restless Leg Syndrome

One of the most troublesome causes of poor quality sleep is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). If you have the urge to move your legs at night, which may include seldom painful, but always very annoying sensation in one or both legs such as tingling or pins and needles, you may be suffering from RLS.

Symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome

Some of the other more common symptoms are unpleasant sensations in their calves, thighs, feet or arms, often expressed as:

• Crawling
• Tingling
• Cramping
• Pulling
• Tense
• Burning
• Aching
• Gnawing
• Uncomfortable
• Itchy
• Electric
• Painful

These sensations involved with Restless Leg Syndrome can occur anywhere from the thigh to the ankle. On or both legs may be affected. The symptoms usually occur when the person lies down or sits for prolonged periods of time, such as at a desk, riding in a car, or watching a movie.

In an article by Dr. Donald Free in “The American Chiropractor,” Free states, “The most effective treatment we have found to relieve the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is proper spinal manipulation.”

Have you ever thought of Restless Leg Syndrome as a “chiropractic deficiency”? In my opinion, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) should be considered a chiropractic specialty, since patients who experience its frustrating symptoms invariably have chronic sacroiliac subluxations that can be caused by many mechanical or structural problems:fallen arches, Morton’s Syndrome (long second toe), knee cartilage damage, and a structural short leg, just to mention a few.

Of course we now know that if you have pain, pins and needles, numbness or burning, that means you have a “pinched nerve.” So one of the best first line of defense treatments for Restless Leg Syndrome would be to administer a chiropractic adjustment. This takes pressure off the spinal cord and relieves the spinal cord pressure, which could be contributing to the Restless Leg Syndrome.

What is the treatment for Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)?

The patient must avoid caffeine during times when their Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) potential is worse. This means avoiding coffee, tea, certain sodas and chocolate. Caffeine can increase the jitters and worsen RLS symptoms. On a positive note certain nutritional supplements can be of tremendous help. Some studies advocate the use of magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin B12, calcium, Zinc and folic acid or folate. It’s imperative to take only whole food concentrate supplements, such as Standard Process, which we carry in our office. This makes them much more capable of getting into the body and providing what your body needs. This is in contrast to the supplements you get in a discount store which are cheaper, however inferior. Meaning they are not considered food, as they are coal-tar derivative, synthetic, petro-chemicals,  and not natural.

Many chiropractors now know that a part of Restless Legs Syndrome includes having pelvic instability, often with lower back (lumbar) subluxations, which are misaligned vertebrae. We refer to this as either a Category two pelvis or in more severe cases, a Category three pelvis, which affects the disc. We can very effectively treat this in our office by using S.O. T. blocks/wedges. This is not only effective, but it is very safe, as the patient’s own body weight laying on the blocks makes the correction.  Exercise is very important to strengthen the pelvis, lumbosacral area and take pressure off the discs. A regular program of walking can be successful. Additionally, leg stretches at the beginning and end of each day which address the hamstring muscles can provide relief.

Dr. Goldberg Discusses Restless Leg Syndrome

IFRAME Embed for Youtube

In our office we also get excellent results for Restless Leg Syndrome using acupuncture which helps the nerves, circulation and meridians (channels of energy flow) in the body. We also use physical therapy modalities, such as: muscle stimulation, which re-educates the the nerves and the muscles. These are both done in the office.

Give Wellness Associates a call at:412-367-3778 to see if you are a candidate for the diagnosis and treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome. Health and Wellness without a prescription. Schedule your Restless Leg Syndrome Evaluation TODAY!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 11th, 2011 at 10:12 am and is filed under Ask The Doctor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.