Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Charli4149 wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2024 5:13 am I would be interested to hear what stretches you do that help . Thanks

BillyWakarusa wrote: Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:14 pm I am new to this forum. This post is obviously anecdotal and might be unique to me, but after 65 years of RLS beginning at age 11 and slowly progressing, I am astonished at the effectiveness of this non-medication treatment that I learned not from treatment for RLS, but in the course of rehab from aortic valve surgery 12 years ago. After that surgery, I began the prescribed course of physical therapy that included stretches of various muscle groups in the body. I still do these virtually every day, but the stretches in the muscles of the calf, hamstrings, quadriceps, and tibialis muscles nearly completely prevents my RLS which had been maddening. It is preventative more so when I do them later in the day rather than in the AM, but completely therapeutic and puts a stop to it at night if the RLS is already underway. I can get up from bed in the dark, lean against a wall, and complete these in about 3 minutes. When I get back in bed, the relief is total about 95% of the time, and is so effective that the ensuing sleep comes fast. Every now and then, it can recur some hours later and wake me up, but a second set of these stretches always puts a stop to it. I can describe these simple exercises, but not in this post which is already long enough. But I will describe them in detail in response to any request. There are some other things I can relate regarding lab tests, meds, and co-morbid conditions, if asked, since I am a retired physician. These are interesting, but maybe only to me. Reply if anyone would like the details about this simple and non-chemical preventative and therapeutic method that has worked for me and doesn't cost one cent. I speculate that the episodes involve sensory nerve receptors in the leg muscle cells themselves, and that these receptors are quieted by stretching of those muscle cells. This would make sense, because the episodes begin mainly at night when the muscles are not being used.

BillyWakarusa wrote: Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:14 pm I am new to this forum. This post is obviously anecdotal and might be unique to me, but after 65 years of RLS beginning at age 11 and slowly progressing, I am astonished at the effectiveness of this non-medication treatment that I learned not from treatment for RLS, but in the course of rehab from aortic valve surgery 12 years ago. After that surgery, I began the prescribed course of physical therapy that included stretches of various muscle groups in the body. I still do these virtually every day, but the stretches in the muscles of the calf, hamstrings, quadriceps, and tibialis muscles nearly completely prevents my RLS which had been maddening. It is preventative more so when I do them later in the day rather than in the AM, but completely therapeutic and puts a stop to it at night if the RLS is already underway. I can get up from bed in the dark, lean against a wall, and complete these in about 3 minutes. When I get back in bed, the relief is total about 95% of the time, and is so effective that the ensuing sleep comes fast. Every now and then, it can recur some hours later and wake me up, but a second set of these stretches always puts a stop to it. I can describe these simple exercises, but not in this post which is already long enough. But I will describe them in detail in response to any request. There are some other things I can relate regarding lab tests, meds, and co-morbid conditions, if asked, since I am a retired physician. These are interesting, but maybe only to me. Reply if anyone would like the details about this simple and non-chemical preventative and therapeutic method that has worked for me and doesn't cost one cent. I speculate that the episodes involve sensory nerve receptors in the leg muscle cells themselves, and that these receptors are quieted by stretching of those muscle cells. This would make sense, because the episodes begin mainly at night when the muscles are not being used.