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my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 12:44 am
by georger
I have been a RLS sufferer for over 10 years. Just my legs, every night - a repeating sense of legs need to move and uncomfortable sensations. I was on Mirapex and took a small amount every evening. I decided to spend a year improving my health, I got rid of inflammatory foods and held a consistent program of short walks and yoga, everyday. like religion. I did get better, but I was not able to end the RLS. One night I felt a clear insight that the problem was in the small of my back. And then I created two, difficult exercises/poses to hold for 40 seconds. And the first night I did this, the RLS stopped. And then the second night and so forth. I am just fine now with no more RLS. I will share these two exercises with anyone who wants to know about them. I know the source of my RLS may not be the same as yours. But, if this sounds in some way similar - then sharing this may be worthwhile. The first exercise is on your stomach, with relaxed arms and legs in a lowered position. Spread your legs apart about 15 inches,put your ankles to the floor and with them and the tops of your feet, lift up the lower half of your body and hold the position for about 20 seconds if you can. Rest for a moment, then, still laying on your stomach reach behind your back with your arms and lift your feet behind you also...then grab your ankles with your hands and hold this position (like a circle) for about 20 seconds. Let go and relax a few minutes. That is all. I hope that this does not make you feel worse, if you are suffering. I am just sharing and hope that you find the answers you are looking for. My theory is that the small of my back is blocking the energy to my legs, and creating RLS. However these two intense exercises...effect the very specific location. If you suspect that you have a specific location that may be the source of your problem, I suggest working with intense and brief exercises that flex and hold the muscles in one spot for 10 - 20 seconds. Unblocking the energy could be the problem. No one listened to me when I said it was in the small of my back. NO one. So 10 years of suffering, until I listened to my body. I wish everyone the best.

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 4:00 am
by Noreserve
Hi Georger. May I ask if you had any back problems prior to exercises ie misalignment, degenerative discs?

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 4:49 am
by ViewsAskew
So glad you've found a solution for your misery and hope it never comes back. Thanks for sharing.

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 10:55 am
by Polar Bear
It's wonderful that this is working for you, how long is it since you began to do these exercises and has there ever been a night when they have not worked?

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 1:36 pm
by Caldwell
I had major spine surgery 4 months ago & when the surgeons said they couldn't help the RLS, I hoped they were wrong....but....they were right & the RL is worse now than before surgery. It seems to me that the RL is centered around the lower back surgery site, so I was so delighted to read that exercise has helped. Hopefully it will not aggravate my healing spine, but I will give it a try! Thank you.

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 10:17 pm
by ViewsAskew
The spinal cord - and what's in it - has definitely been implicated. And we have countless people whose RLS/WED started after injury or surgery to the back. Anything that can help those folks is worth trying.

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 11:34 pm
by legsbestill
Thank you very much for taking the time to set out your exercises so carefully. I too have had a feeling that my problems were founded in my lower back - at least when just the legs are affected - it's different when symptoms are in arms and torso. I will give your exercises a try. Thanks again.

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2016 9:23 am
by badnights
georger wrote:The first exercise is on your stomach, with relaxed arms and legs in a lowered position. Spread your legs apart about 15 inches,put your ankles to the floor and with them and the tops of your feet, lift up the lower half of your body and hold the position for about 20 seconds if you can.
I have not had the sense that my lower back was involved for years now, but initially it was one of the things I wondered about. Low-back pain changed to sciatica at around the same time the WED/RLS went nuts. But there were other things to consider - namely, knee surgery, and a spider bite followed by infection in the bone of my arm followed by heavy antibiotics, also at the same time the WED ramped up.

However, I am eager to try anything. But I don't quite understand the first exercise. How do I lift the lower half of my body, which presumably includes my legs, if I am simultaneously pressing down into the tops of my feet?

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 12:54 am
by georger
Thank you for the inquiries - following my first written comments. First I have not had a spinal injury, however, I have been a dancer and used my body extensively. I also wonder if I have been arching my back as a habitual posture...it seems to me that I have...just a tiny bit. My thoughts are that I may have been putting some kind of stress on my lower back for most of my life and that possibly this created some kind of block.

It has been over a year since I began the exercises. I do have vague sensations that do not escalate into the need to medicate myself. When they occur I do a series of touch my toes to my ankles and up again, about 10 or so of those and re-do my 2 exercise routine described and if that is not enough I take a bath. Then it stops. This occurs maybe once a week or so.....and you can see that my issues are still in the background of my condition.

It was asked about the exercise of lifting the lower half of the body with your ankles. It is the top of the ankles and feet, and I put my feet inward toward each other. It requires you to keep your legs and body very stiff and then lift the lower body as much as possible using your ankles/top of feet.. It may be a small lift amount, but it will be putting stress or tension on the center of the small of your lower back. If you practice..you will become stronger. Let me know if that is not clear.....I can draw these exercises if someone would like that.

And for those of you that may be interested, I also take Taurine in the early evening....and Niacinamide right before bed. I have found that I also need to take 3 short walks a day (10-20min each) and some light yoga in the evening. This is a routine that I keep regularly. I am glad that some of your are sharing that the small of the back seems to be indicated.

I wish you all the best in the small but important steps to help be more healthy. I will check later if someone has another inquiry.

Re: my RLS - recovery

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:38 pm
by badnights
Thank you. There have been other people who found taurine to be of benefit.

I think I understand the exercise - the feet stay on the floor, the chest stays on the floor, and you raise your hips off the floor by pressing the tops of your feet down, while keeping your feet and legs pressed together?