Compression Stockings to relieve need to move at night

Please share your experiences, successes, and failures in using non-drug therapies for RLS/WED (methods of relief that don't involve swallowing or injecting anything), including compression, heat, light, stretches, acupuncture, etc. Also under this heading, medical interventions that don't involve the administration of a medicine to the body (eg. varicose-vein operations, deep-brain stimulation). [This forum contains Topics started prior to 2009 that deal with Non-prescription Medicines, Supplements, & Diet.]
Sojourner
Posts: 1657
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:56 am
Location: USA

Post by Sojourner »

c, et al., If one theory of the linked article is that the "compression(s) cause blood to flow back to the heart and thus improve circulation, etc. then it would seem that the increased circulation would flow throughout the body and perhaps improve the rls of other effected body parts. Don't know but...
This post simply reflects opinion. Quantities are limited while supplies last. Some assembly required.

ViewsAskew
Moderator
Posts: 16571
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Post by ViewsAskew »

Bluefin just asked me where the story was as the above link didn't work. I never posted it because of the link above. I'll search for it and see if I can find it.

Since Sojourner read it, he might remember something about it.

It was a new device created that supplied compression, similar to compression stockings. I don't think it was available yet...but can't remember.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

ViewsAskew
Moderator
Posts: 16571
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Post by ViewsAskew »

Aha - here it is.

They don't say what compression device, unfortunately.

This is probably why some people like compression stockings and why some people really like massage. Both act in similar ways.

Even people like me, who hate the stockings, might like the compression device better because it's more like a hard massage. It's the touch against the skin that bothers me, I think.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

ViewsAskew
Moderator
Posts: 16571
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Post by ViewsAskew »

Then again, maybe this is it....not sure which one I saw, but tend to think it was this one. It reads familiar to me, but the results seem similar. You'll have to scroll down to find this particular study. I tried to take the link, but I'm still waiting for the page to display. I'm on a network and we're having some difficulties, so not sure if it's me or the page.


Sequential compression devices for treatment of restless legs syndrome.

1/10/2009

Medicine (Baltimore). 2007 Nov; 86(6): 317-23
Eliasson AH, Lettieri CJ

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common disorder that presents with irresistible urges to move the legs and motor restlessness, worsening in the evening. RLS commonly causes insomnia and associated daytime symptoms. Treatment of first choice for RLS is usually medication, but medications are often ineffective or poorly tolerated. An effective nonpharmacologic therapy would be highly desirable.

Here we review RLS and its treatment and present data from a pilot study on the effect of a novel treatment for this condition. The objective of this study was to determine the therapeutic effect of pneumatic sequential compression devices (SCDs) on RLS symptoms.We performed an uncontrolled, prospective interventional study using SCDs on a convenience sample of adults reliably diagnosed with RLS.

Patients were asked to wear the SCD for an hour each evening before the usual time of onset of restless legs symptoms. Before and after 1-3 months of SCD therapy, patients completed validated questionnaires to assess RLS severity, daytime sleepiness, and impact of RLS on quality of life in the domains of social function, daily task function, sleep quality, and emotional well-being. Compliance with SCD therapy was measured using patient-recorded logs.

Of 10 patients (7 women; age range, 37-80 yr; mean age, 56 yr), symptomatic for a mean of 68 months (range, 12-360 mo), 1 could not tolerate wearing the SCD and withdrew from the protocol after 3 days. The remaining 9 patients complied with therapy 58%-100% of nights (mean, 82%). Three patients experienced complete resolution of RLS and 6 patients had improvement of symptoms.

Group severity score improved from 24/40 to 8/40 (p = 0.001). Epworth Sleepiness Scale score improved from 12/24 to 8/24 (p = 0.05). Every quality of life score improved: social function from 74% to 96% (p = 0.04), daily task function 63% to 80% (p = 0.05), sleep quality 27% to 63% (p = 0.003), and emotional well-being from 49% to 83% (p = 0.02).

In this group of patients, wearing the SCD in the evening for an hour improved symptoms of RLS and improved quality of life, with complete resolution of symptoms in 3 of 10 patients.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

User avatar
HJ-Ziggy
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:36 am
Location: On. Canada

Post by HJ-Ziggy »

RLS is a nerve thingy, so why can't something be found quickly to cure
this????? Myself I use marijuana just 5 drags off a joint or a little in a pipe
just before bed and all is good. 8)

Some nights the RLS is really bad so I'll wake up after being asleep for
2 or 3 hours but I go outside for a little more pot and all is good again.

So I wonder, who could I tell in the medical world to look into THC and
find out what is in the THC that numbs the nerves. Then maybe they'll
come up with a pill that has no bad side effects or gets you hooked. :?:

Find that friend of yours that smokes pot and get a joint from them try
it and you'll feel what fast relief I get, I'm talking instant relief. :D
I'm not saying you need to get fried or you have to smoke everyday
just a little before you want to get some sleep.

Aiken
Posts: 880
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2005 6:53 am

Post by Aiken »

Ziggy,

I know MJ is treated a little more laxly in Canada, especially in certain areas, but folks down here can be arrested by the feds for using it. A state law granting medical MJ privileges does not actually override the federal law, and people who have thought themselves safe later found themselves in cuffs.

Kudos to anyone who manages to get a constant supply without endangering themselves legally, but it's not something I want to chance when a conviction would have a bigger effect on my professional career than RLS ever does.

That said, I wish MJ and the opioids were all more easily available to RLS sufferers, because the simple truth is that they can work without many side effects. You have to take care with things like driving, but otherwise a responsible person is much better off with these "naughty" drugs. If MJ is ever more fully legalized, I intend to give it a shot myself, since it seems like one develops less tolerance over time than with opioids.

Still, the people reading this particular area are looking for non-pharmaceutical therapies. Some can't take drugs for physical reasons, some because they don't work, some for religious/spiritual reasons, and some because they're just the teeth-gritting types who don't like putting weird stuff in their bodies. So, you might find that most aren't going to go for MJ, which, let's face it, is a pharmaceutical therapy. The fact that you can't buy it over the counter at the drug store is just a prudish legal technicality, not a real categorization.
Disclaimer: I often talk about what I do and what works for me, but these are specific to me and you should always consult a healthcare professional before trying these things yourself, lest you endanger your health or life.

Post Reply