Restless Leg Syndrome

Wall leg stretching: Stand facing a wall, feet together, 0.5 meter from the wall. Hold heels firmly on the wall. Keep hips and knees straight. Lean forward to the wall, stretching both legs. Hold this position for 15-30 seconds. Repeat five times per session. Do three sessions a day.

Muscle cramping of legs, also known as "vop be" in Vietnamese, is a common complaint for various illness. Common causes are prolonged sitting, arthritis, dehydration, low blood potassium or magnesium, iron deficiency, muscle cramping from vigorous excercise, diabetic or alcoholic peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson disease. In many cases, patients notice that cramping is worse in the evening and immediately relieved by walking. These patients may well have restless leg syndrome (RLS).

The International Restless Legs Study Group proposed the following four symptoms as essential criteria for the diagnosis of RLS:

• An urge to move both legs



• The urge to move begins during periods of rest such as lying or sitting



• The urge is relieved by walking or stretching



• The urge is worse in the evening or at night

In some cases, polysomnography, which is a sleep study, is needed for the diagnosis.

As far as treatment is concerned, leg stretching (see picture) before sleep is a good start and not costly at all. Avoidance of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol helps many patients. Pharmacological treatment is available. Levodopa, pramipexole, ropinirole, benzodiazepines, or gabapentin are usually recommended.