Restless leg syndrome is a cause for leg discomfort. People who have this condition feel that they must move their legs. Symptoms usually happen at night, when a person is trying to rest. This sometimes causes confusion with night leg pain. But, this is a mistake. First, symptoms can happen at any time of inactivity (not only at night). And second, people describe an urge to move, but pain is not a central feature.
Restless Leg Syndrome Symptoms
Just like the name implies, the symptoms are restless legs. True, this may be hard to explain to someone who has never experienced these symptoms. But, in reality people who suffer from this condition just can’t find a position where they can relax. In fact, any time they try to relax, they are overcome by an urge to move their legs.
Obviously, the most common time of day for symptoms to appear is at night. After all, this is the time when most people try to lay still and go to sleep. But, symptoms can happen at any time of day. If you suffer from this condition, your legs will become restless most every time you try to relax.
Restless Leg Syndrome Diagnosis
The key to the diagnosis is to recognize the symptoms. There is no specific test to determine restless leg syndrome. But, there are diagnostic criteria. Recognizing the symptoms and identifying the criteria makes the diagnosis.
Recognize Secondary Causes
Most cases do not have an underlying cause. This means that tests will come back normal. But sometimes, we can recognize conditions that are known to go hand in hand with restless leg syndrome. The first condition to identify is iron deficiency. So, testing for iron levels can be useful.
Other related conditions include pregnancy and end-stage renal disease. So, a pregnancy test and testing for kidney function is relevant as well.
Treatment
Some treatments focus on the movement component. One way to do that is to influence dopamine. Dopamine is a molecule that has a role in movement. For instance, medicines that affect dopamine are also used in Parkinson’s. One such medication is pramipexole. It is marketed under the brand-name Mirapex.
Other medications aim to calm the nerves in the legs. Pregabalin, which is sold as Lyrica, aims to do just that.
When there is an associated condition, treating it can be helpful. For example, iron may benefit some people, although data are inconclusive. Obviously, when a pregnancy ends, symptoms often resolve. It is interesting that one study showed that doctors were often not aware of this, leaving many pregnant women worried for no good reason.
Pickle Juice?
The symptoms of restless leg syndrome can be frustrating. Also, treatments do not work for everyone. So people look for alternative therapies. One such therapy is pickle juice. We don’t know how, but pickle juice helps with muscle cramps. But this does not mean that pickle juice for makes sense to treat other conditions such as restless leg syndrome. These are very different conditions. Unfortunately, pickle juice does not prevent or treat the symptoms of restless leg syndrome.
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