Restless legs syndrome overview

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Mohamadmostafa Jahansouz M.D.[2]

Overview

Restless legs syndrome is a condition that is characterised by an irresistible urge to move one's legs. It is poorly understood, often misdiagnosed, and believed to be a neurological disorder. Many people tap their feet or shake their legs resulting from a nervous tic, consumption of stimulants, drug side-effects or other factors; this is usually innocuous, unnoticed, and does not interfere with daily life, quite distinct from Restless Leg Syndrome.

It is sometimes mistakenly called "Ekbom's syndrome," but that is an entirely different condition that shares part of the Wittmaack-Ekbom syndrome eponym: delusional parasitosis, as both syndromes were described by the same person, Karl-Axel Ekbom.

Historical Perspective

In a 1945 publication titled 'Restless Legs', Karl-Axel Ekbom described the disease and presented eight cases used for his studies.

Earlier studies were done by Thomas Willis (1622-1675) and by Theodor Wittmaack. Another early description of the disease and its symptoms were made by George Miller Beard (1839-1883).

Pathophysiology

As with many diseases with diffuse symptoms, there is controversy among physicians, if RLS is a distinct syndrome. The US National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke publishes an information sheet characterizing the syndrome but acknowledging it is a difficult diagnosis. Some physicians doubt that RLS actually exists as a legitimate clinical entity, but believe it to be a kind of "catch-all" category, perhaps related to a general heightened sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response that could be caused by any number of physical or emotional factors. Other clinicians associate it with lumbosacral spinal subluxations and life stress.

Epidemiology and Demographics

Many doctors express the view that the incidence of restless leg syndrome is exaggerated by manufacturers of drugs used to treat it. Other physicians consider it a real entity that has specific diagnostic criteria.