Tightening in calf

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konaPel
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:32 pm

Tightening in calf

Post by konaPel »

Does anyone else get a tightening in calf (not a full cramp) instead of the need to move, jumpy feelings?

Also does anyone else just lave 1 leg affected? A lot of times (most of the time) I just have my left leg bothering me. It’s making me unsure if it’s really RLS. once in awhile I’ll get RLS in both arms.
So between just getting the tighening and just left calf my doctor and I are unsure if it’s RLS. I had been diagnosed with RLS back in 2000 by sleep study doctor.

Thanks.

Polar Bear
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Re: Tightening in calf

Post by Polar Bear »

I don't get any tightening feeling in the calf. Yes, to the occasional cramp which is quite separate. Does the feeling in your calf ease/go away if you take a walk. Even if only temporarily.

Most of the time I only have one leg affected, my right leg. Occasionally it might be both legs. My arms/shoulders are also affected.

I'm on my phone at present and can't do a link but if you do a search for RLS Criteria it will provide you with the 4 or 5 essential criteria that apply.
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
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Rustsmith
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Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: Tightening in calf

Post by Rustsmith »

I do not feel a tightening of the calf muscles as part of my RLS. However, some of us have premonition type symptoms before the RLS hits and when my calves start to tighten up almost to the point of a cramp when I in bed, I know that it is time to get up to soak in hot water before the RLS hits full force.
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
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
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Re: Tightening in calf

Post by ViewsAskew »

I get the pre-RLS which is not quite a tightening, but sort of. But, RLS always follows if I don't get up and move around or do something. Does yours follow with RLS-type feelings?
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.

badnights
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Location: Northwest Territories, Canada

Re: Tightening in calf

Post by badnights »

The key is whether you have an urge to move associated with the tightening: meaning, a un-ignorable compulsion to stand up and walk about. Muscle cramps, unlike WED/RLS, can sometimes be relieved by changing position; anything that can be relieved in that way is not WED/RLS. The "need" to move to relieve a cramp is more a product of experience than a compulsion - we know it will help the cramp . In WED/RLS the compulsion to move is separate from any accompanying sensations, although it's hard sometimes to recognize them as two separate things since they always happen together.

Also, the feeling - both the "tightening" and the urge to move - are relieved (fully or partly) within moments of getting up. It doesn't take time, like the time it takes for a cramp to loosen.

Also, these feelings come on in the evening, or if they happen 24/7 they;re worse in the evening and early night.

Also, these feelings are brought on by physical and mental relaxation - eg. lying down to sleep, sitting down and not occupying your mind.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

konaPel
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:32 pm

Re: Tightening in calf

Post by konaPel »

Thanks for all the replies. I am realizing now that tightening that I experience is not RLS. It doesn’t make me need to move my leg and when I get up and walk around the tightness is still there. It’s not a cramp but I think I won’t have to take some meds for diagnosis. I already have been diagnosed with WED/RLS back in 2000. And I have been having some of that in my arms. I will need to figure out the tightness as it does wake me up and keep me from sleeping. I do have a L5/S1 back issue that causes some referred pain in calf and thigh but I have exercises to get rid of that in the night. This might be still the same issue with more annoying results. I am getting new orthotics soon and will see if chiropractor can help.
Thanks again.

BarryO
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 5:29 pm

Re: Tightening in calf

Post by BarryO »

Yes! And yes, I have RLS. It has evolved over the past 30 years, and become quite bad over the past 5 years. Having gone through a wide variety of nutritional, physical and medical therapies (including Pramipexole, which worked immediately but had to end due to augmentation) I'm now on evening opioids that have it under control. Thank God (or space dust, or whatever higher power there is ;O)!!

Others have described their symptoms in different ways; cramps, knots, tingling, bugs crawling under their skin, etc. Mine is definately tightness of my calf muscles, just as you've described. I imagine it's like if someone put a taser to my calf muscles and they seize up. Not pain, not cramps, but bad tightness. Both legs are bad but typically one worse than the other. And it got unbearable after about the 3rd month of sleepless nights.

My best advice: Find the right Doctor!!! RLS is such an elusive thing in the medical profession. "All sleep doctors and neurologists have training in RLS," was a useless retort from one of the doctors I tried. My primary care physician said she had RLS herself. My initial sleep doctor also said she had RLS. However, it was clear that neither experienced it to the extent I have, so were politely dismissive of my frustration, and wanted to find answers in non-RLS causes for my exhaustion. My current specialist is indeed a sleep doctor as well, with advanced psychiatric training, and has severe RLS himself. Consequently he clearly understands the suffering and quality of life issues RLS can bring. He asks the questions others haven't. I'm soooo thankful that I finally found him!!

My next-to-best advice: Join a support group. This BBS was heaven-sent when I finally stumbled upon it. It let me know I wasn't alone, and had great information I'd tried desperately to find from various doctors and across the Internet. But it's still not human contact and interaction. I attended a support group that meets once a quarter about 1.5 hours drive from my home. A good move! It was so affirming to find others with different degrees of RLS. Great questions, great first-hand experiences, and great references to local resources.

Stay positive. There is hope.

MonkNYC
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:01 pm

Re: Tightening in calf

Post by MonkNYC »

I just joined this forum because I was looking for help with exactly this topic. I take Gabapentin and don't usually have the legs flopping that I used to have and the quality of my sleep has improved. But my legs are often so sore when I wake up. And my calfs are always tight. If I'm cramping in the middle of the night, it's not waking me up. Today they are particularly bad. I'm going to try compression sleeves on them. But I look forward to any other ideas.

badnights
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Re: Tightening in calf

Post by badnights »

MonkNYC. have you had any blood tests done recently for iron parameters, particularly ferritin which is not normally requested but can be useful in deciding how to treat WED/RLS? If your ferritin is low (lower than 100, certainly if it's lower than 75) you should probably be taking oral iron supplements (with vitamin C on an empty stomach), as long as your doctor confirms you're not in danger of iron overload. For some people simply taking iron is enough to relieve the symptoms, which makes sense because the disease is related to a deficiency of iron in the brain.

When I took gabapentin, it dulled the creepy sensations but not the urge to move, so I would lie in bed, rather content with the lack of creepy crawlies, but kick-kick-kicking. I can't quite correlate that with your situation, but maybe the gabapentin is similarly addressing part of the problem and leaving another part unaddressed.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

badnights
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Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:20 pm
Location: Northwest Territories, Canada

Re: Tightening in calf

Post by badnights »

BarryO wrote:My current specialist is indeed a sleep doctor as well, with advanced psychiatric training, and has severe RLS himself. Consequently he clearly understands the suffering and quality of life issues RLS can bring. He asks the questions others haven't. I'm soooo thankful that I finally found him!!
If you feel like sharing the name of this doctor, I know there are others here who are desperate to find a doctor who gets it.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

sleepdancer2
Posts: 222
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 7:46 am

Re: Tightening in calf

Post by sleepdancer2 »

MonkNYC wrote:I just joined this forum because I was looking for help with exactly this topic. I take Gabapentin and don't usually have the legs flopping that I used to have and the quality of my sleep has improved. But my legs are often so sore when I wake up. And my calfs are always tight. If I'm cramping in the middle of the night, it's not waking me up. Today they are particularly bad. I'm going to try compression sleeves on them. But I look forward to any other ideas.
Are you on any meds that could be causing periodic limb movements during sleep? Reason I ask is your use of the word "flopping" reminds me of when I was experiencing augmentation. Another thing is, if one has periodic limb movements of sleep but takes a med that helps them sleep through the movements, it can be expected for the legs to be sore or painful because they never really rest or get restored. Ideally there will be a med that addresses the movements thus allowing you to sleep vs sleeping through them. But, gotta sleep so sometimes we take what we can get.
My Augmentation Sleep Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE7WA_5c73c

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