Restless Legs Syndrome (cont.)

Medical Author:

Juan Latorre, MD

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Symptoms

The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group described the following symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS):

• Strange itching, tingling, or "crawling" sensations occurring deep within the legs. These sensations sometimes occur in the arms.
• A compelling urge to move the limbs to relieve these sensations
• Restlessness: Floor pacing, tossing and turning in bed, rubbing the legs
• Symptoms may occur only with lying or sitting. Sometimes persistent symptoms occur that are worse with lying or sitting and better with activity.
• In very severe cases, the symptoms may not improve with activity.

Other symptoms of RLS include the following:

• Sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness are very common.
• Involuntary, repetitive, periodic, jerking limb movements occur either in sleep or while awake and at rest. These movements are called periodic leg movements of sleep or periodic limb movement disorder. About 80% of people with RLS also have this condition.

In some people with RLS, the symptoms do not occur every night but come and go. These people may go weeks or months without symptoms (remission) before the symptoms return again.