Restless Legs Syndrome - Symptoms

Definition of the disorder

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a fairly common neurological disorder characterized by the urgent need to move the lower limbs (and sometimes the upper limbs as well) to stop the motor torment. Patients with Restless Legs Syndrome complain of symptoms. vague, confused, rather difficult to define: these are continuous and restless motor movements of the legs, specially performed by the affected subject in a desperate attempt to obtain relief from tingling and annoying numbness.

The symptoms of the syndrome appear especially during sleep, making the night rest a real torment: the affected patient, due to frequent awakenings during the night, complains of heavy disturbances in falling asleep and a poor or poor quality of sleep.
Let us try to deepen the topic, explaining which are the most recurrent symptoms and possible complications of restless legs syndrome.

Symptoms

For further information: Symptoms Restless Legs Syndrome

The onset of restless legs syndrome is variable. However, the disease manifests its symptoms mainly during the young adult age.
RLS is a conical disease, which tends to worsen with age, both in terms of frequency and intensity. Although rare, periods of symptom remission are still possible.
In the vast majority of diagnosed cases, symptoms appear during rest - especially at night - and subside with movement. The patient, forced to move his lower limbs to get relief, is unable to rest peacefully due to the countless awakenings during sleep.
Symptoms and clinical evidence associated with restless legs syndrome can be summarized as follows:

Absence of abnormalities in the objective neurological examination
Nocturnal Leg Contractions: The movements that characterize restless legs syndrome can extend to the big toes, ankles and hips.
Involvement of a phantom limb: Phantom limb syndrome is defined as the unpleasant perception of a limb that has become numb or the sensation of still possessing a limb that has been amputated
A desire to move the lower limbs to find relief from tingling legs and numbness
Motor restlessness
Periodic, sometimes uncontrolled movements of the muscles of the lower limbs: these movements are generally rapid, jerky or jerky, stereotyped and repetitive, and recur every 15-40 seconds.
Perception of itching or tickling in the muscles, which cannot be relieved without movement
Possible involvement of the upper limbs
Burning and constant itching in the legs
More pronounced symptoms during the night and rest in general
Leg tremors
Circadian variation in symptoms: The discomfort associated with restless legs syndrome appears to subside at 5am. In severe cases, symptoms occur constantly throughout the day.

Complications

The intertwining of these symptoms is reflected in poor quality sleep, characterized by difficulty falling asleep, insomnia, frequent nocturnal awakenings and fatigue during the day.
Clearly, the pressure that a patient with restless legs syndrome is subjected to can lead to serious disorders and complications, reflecting neurological conditions:

Altered mood
Anxiety
Depression
Irritability
Stress

Associations and future hopes

Unfortunately, restless legs syndrome often remains misdiagnosed or even unrecognized. Many patients are diagnosed with the disorder even 10-20 years after the onset of the very first symptoms: what has been said makes us understand how the restless legs syndrome is still ignored by a good portion of the world population.

We must not forget that restless legs syndrome is a full-fledged chronic neurological disease; therefore, it should get more medical attention. The Italian Association of RLS Patients was born in 2007 with the aim of uniting the population, raising awareness among the medical profession and promoting research in the fight against restless legs syndrome.