Restless Leg Syndrome

How Chiropractors Can Help With Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless leg syndrome is a fairly common condition that affects about 10% of the population. With restless leg syndrome, the individual will feel the need to continually move their legs because of uncomfortable sensations. While it is a condition that could affect people of any age or gender, it is more common among women and those of middle age and older. In many cases, the condition will also get worse as the individual advances in age.

With RLS, the symptoms vary from person to person, and it can affect people to varying degrees. Among the symptoms a person may experience, you have feelings of itchiness, tingling, numbness or feelings in the legs that are similar to what you would feel if insects were crawling on the skin. These sensations cause the person to want to move their legs repeatedly, and it can be quite disruptive to the life of the individual.

With many people, the condition is at its worst in the evening and it can interfere with their sleep. For this reason, restless leg syndrome is also considered a type of sleep disorder. Many patients that have restless leg syndrome will also experience what are known as periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS), which are essentially the involuntary jerking or twitching of the limbs. This is another way that RLS can be disruptive to the individual’s sleep.

While the exact causes of restless leg syndrome have yet to be discovered, it is believed that most cases are connected to some form of nervous system dysfunction. For this reason, chiropractic care can be one of the best forms of treatment for people that are looking for relief from restless leg syndrome.

When a person is getting these sensations in the legs that cause restless leg syndrome, it is essentially because the brain is receiving mixed or false signals from the nerves. Part of the purpose of chiropractic adjustments is to restore proper nerve function, and this can provide relief. The nerve supply to the legs come from the spine, so a chiropractic adjustment can relieve pressure or irritation to the nerves, and for many patients, this can be the key to getting the relief that they need.

In addition to this, a chiropractor can help to improve your sleep. Since the problem is usually at its most intense when the individual is trying to sleep, this may be point of importance for your chiropractor. In this, they might recommend making changes to your sleep routine or they might offer advice that can help the individual to sleep more comfortably.

Beyond the chiropractic adjustments and sleep counseling, the chiropractor may also employ the use of various other treatment options. For a person that has restless leg syndrome, nutritional counseling may be a part of the treatment plan. The chiropractor may also use treatment options like massage or they might apply heat therapy in the legs in order to relax the muscles. In treating restless leg syndrome, exercise can be an important component of the treatment strategy. To assist the patient in dealing with restless leg syndrome, the chiropractor may prescribe a number of different exercises that can help to address the condition.

Restless leg syndrome is a complicated condition, and it will generally take at least a few sessions to get the problem under control. However, there have been many patients that have experienced positive results when it comes to chiropractic care for restless leg syndrome. If you have restless leg syndrome, talk to a chiropractor about your treatment options and what you can expect moving forward.