Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

I've been describing the rls feeling as a worm that dissolves when you move. This made me realize if feels like a pocket of fluid moving through a crevice in the muscle fibers. Here's what AI said:

Interstitial fluid occupies the spaces between cells, including within muscle tissues. Its movement is influenced by factors such as muscle contractions, passive stretching, and changes in internal pressure. Research indicates that muscle deformation during activity can cause interstitial fluid to shift, which can be tracked using techniques like fluorescent microspheres. ResearchGate+2PMC+2Wiley Online Library+2

These fluid shifts are typically subtle and don't lead to noticeable swelling (edema). However, they might produce sensations of movement or pressure within the muscle, especially in individuals who are particularly sensitive to internal bodily sensations.

I'd love to know if fluorescent microspheres would reveal heebie jeebies. btw, I think a lack of ferritin would create a lack of oxgen which would cause fluid to accumulate, but that's just me. I'd love to hear what some experts think.


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When you say that a lack of ferritin would result in a lack of oxygen, you are confusing the role of hemoglobin and ferritin. When iron is initially absorbed into the body, it is used to form hemoglobin, which is the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. Hemoglobin contains four iron atoms.

But eventually these cells become worn and less effective, so the body reclaims the iron from the hemoglobin. Free iron is toxic, so the body stores the reclaimed iron in huge protein molecules that can contain up to 4500 iron atoms. Ferritin is used to transport iron to organs that need it, primarily the liver and immune system but also the brain. There is complex process where specialized protein molecules in the blood brain barrier that can accept iron atoms from ferritin and then transport it across the barrier in small amounts so that it can be used by the brain too. There is speculation that some of the genes that correlate with RLS may be involved in the creation of this transport protein, but that is just a scientific theory right now that has not been proven.

But ferritin is not involved in the transport of oxygen.

Also, the description of worms moving beneath the skin is made by some, but it does not describe the sensation that all of us experience. Language is very confining when it comes to describing RLS sensations because language relies upon a shared experience and the majority of the population have no idea what we go through. Some people describe their RLS need to move sensation as being like electric jerks. In my case, it is like pressure that builds within the muscle that can only be relieved by moving or stretching. Shortly after my RLS went from mild to severe, I tried to not move my legs to see if the "pressure buildup" would subside. I will never do that again because the pressure to move became so intense that one of my legs moved on it's own (or maybe I lost focus for a split second). When my leg moved, it was a very violent kick that almost threw me out of the chair that I was sitting in. Thankfully, there was nothing in front of me for my foot to hit.