Each leg spasm only lasts about 5 sec. But they repeat in the leg, every 20 seconds. Once I counted them for an hour and there was 120 spasms. Then I got up from laying down, to stop them.
Do yours primarily occur when you are laying down?
How long do your attacks last?

John

Sounds like your condition (fortunately) may come from lack of movement for awhile, like when you're sitting down and is temporary.

Rls is a much more chronic condition. Movement often relieves it (in its milder form), but as soon as the person sits or lays down it returns relentlessly over and over again.

I was hoping others who may read about this problem and who may have rls or who may have someone in their family who has it ... Might join us here to share information on it.

John

Rls has been found to be a genetic disorder in most folks.... In other words... We inherited it (most likely)... When I mentioned my rls to my parents.... My dad immediately lit up and said, "yeah, I have it.... We just always called it 'the heebee jeebees". Geeez....


Anyway.. I've been battling with it since '93. I was under a great deal of stress back then and taking benadryl to help me sleep... Well, benadryl is now my own worst enemy... Never touch the stuff any more! Avoid anything with benadryl ( diphenhydromine) if you want to avoid a very lond day and night with rls.


There has also been a corolation made between anti-depressants and rls. Caffeine is an rls sufferer's nightmare as well. I have had to eliminate it from my diet ... Or only have caffeine before 4pm.


The mayo clinic in minneapolis usa is doing some studies on rls. Mayoclinic.Com/invoke.Cfm?Id=ds00191
there are also a lot of studies being done in the uk.


Stress makes it worse.


My rls has been particularly bad over the past 6 months. I attempt to get a good night's sleep using mirapex to keep the rls at bay.... But, it's not working so well these days. Neurontin is also a drug that works well for some suffering with rls. Mirapex is not available here in france, so i'm rationing my supply. I "think" when I mix mirapex with ibuprofin, before bed, then it helps me get to sleep.


I feel for you... Really I do.... Most folks don't begin to know how frustrating this disorder is to live with. Most nights I can fall asleep, but within 1/2 hour of falling fast asleep, my left leg begins the spasms... And nervous energy.... Usually spasm-ing every 15-20 seconds... Endlessly.... Till I finally give in and get out of bed!


Am looking forward to hearing more input from you all
pitterpat

I currently have a pinched nerve somewhere in my lower back...Doctors can't really find it but know it's there...Most likely a result from a herniated disc...It causes pain down my right leg...Anwho, was in p.T. And on nerontin for months...Finally got off of it b/c it seriously can screw you up...And the pain in my leg was fine for a month! Well, started seeing a chiropractor for some tension in my neck and we started wroking on my leg...After a few weeks, the pain starting acting up and now it is crazy and is in both legs...All my life I have had leg pain here and there at night...Feels like lactic acid build up andmy dad would rub them till they felt better...Well, the past few nights, it is so bad...I don't just have to move them...But I have to crack my knees, my ankles and my hips (which is hard)...It feels like fluid is biulding up and the pain won;t stop till I crack them...Over and over for hours on end I am cracking...It hurts if I stop...Does resltess leg syndrome include this need to crack my joints over and over? It is keeping me up all night long...And insight would be great...

My rls does not have pain associated with it. I - did - have sciatic nerve pain originally (down my leg) when I got my heriated discs years ago. But that went away in a couple weeks.
So if you have pain, then i'd check nerve damage and not rls. The rls is severe, relentless (without medication) leg spasms.

By the way, I agee with the person who mentioned a food relationship. Sufferers like myself keep logs sometimes of their diet along with times of attacks and medication. And, there is no doubt that i've definitely seen a food correlation.

John

Hi john,

two months ago I returned from india after having an extremely bad bowel disease. At its worst,
i had up to 40 (forty) bowel movements a day, even when not eating. On return, within two days,
i had severe leg cramps which I still have and am awaiting the results of an mri scan. All my
bloods seem normal, but my legs are in a severely bad way. I have also lost a lot of muscle mass.

Hope this helps.

Stewart

Hi,

i have spasms too in my leg at night. Things have become pretty bad in the lsat few months. It takes place in my left leg. Just like some other folks here, starts 10 minutes after I lie down and then continues on till I give up and watch tv for another 2 hours. Once or twice, watching tv has also not helped. It is interesting though because I usually lie down on the couch and there I do not feel any spasms. Maybe it has something to do with my getting into the sleep mode, or maybe the shape of my bed which somehow piches some nerve on my bak that triggers these spasms.

I do have a lot of stress. I have a sciatic nerve problem, though it was never diagnosed properly..The x-rays did not show any disc problems in my back. I did get a ergonomic chair after that and physiotherapy for my back (both of which helped). While reading other blogs I realized that a streched/tense mucle in my pelvic floor may be pinching the nerve.

Another thing. During spasms if I press att eh place where the two of my legs join, there is a lot of pain. Sometimes, during teh day, I feel excessive pain at a singular point in the "palm" of my leg (pardon my english). Does anybody else also has such symptoms.

For now, I am counting on the tv.

p

Hi there! We are all different. A lot of us deal with herniated discs, sciatica problems, rls and what works for some may not work for others. I live in a lot of pain and have a lot of neuro problems and have degenerative problems with my joints and discs, etc. Am at the end of my ropes with meds, I have tried mirapex, flexeril, neurontin, requip and sleep meds and other meds and not much helps and I just about refuse surgery as I have been there and done that and it seems like the situation becomes worse after awhile with scar tissue and arthritis so I just accept it, move on and do the best I can. My diet is good and I do not get myself stressed out. I realize that their are people that are alot worse off then I am. I fall alot but I am not ready for an electric wheelchair which I have, when I do go out, I use my electric scooter.
I do hope you all find some relief soon, as I said before, what works for some may not work for others and vis versa!
All the best!

I am 15 and am having muscle spasms as well and some times i am limping and i hav been bugging my parents for a cane but they refuse. Do you guys think a can could help or not? sometimes i get pain in both my ankles at the same time as well and in both legs, so is a cane a good idea or no?

Was just trying to get a bit of sleep today.Had to leave work early because of a 3 day migraine.
Problem is I can't sleep no matter how I try. After about 10 mins. lying down my left leg (only my LEFT leg) begins to 'spasm' very strongly.
I'm 51 yrs. old and have been living with this condition since the age of 31.
This has altered my life enormously & I feel very much for all who suffer similarly with this 'chronic' condition. Years ago I was able to be examined by a neurologist by spending time in a sleep lab on three separate occasions.
This doctor who is now since retired prescribed Clonazepam which I have been taking for 20 yrs! When I take the meds. about an hour before bed it allows me to doze off and get some sleep. It's not a very good reparative kind of sleep. The spasms go on just the same all night long. My wife sometimes has to sleep on the couch some nights as she says it's just too much.
I have learned to live with it somewhat but it affects me a great deal. I've seen other neurologists & really don't offer much help.One told me that I will live with these spasms (completely involuntary) by the way, for the rest of my life. Pretty depressing. No matter what I try I have found nothing that keeps the spasms from coming.
I've read many postings on here that fit my condition to a "T".
I was born with what my parents could describe as the start of spina-bifida. Literally was a hole at the base of my spine covered with a thin fragile skin. When I was only 5 days old my parents had me operated on at a neurological hospital in Montreal. This I assume 'arrested' the development of more Spina-bifida? I can't be sure as my parents are no longer with us. Anyway just a thought, a person always wonders why one is affected by something that 'ails' you.
Is it hereditary? Strange how it slowly began in my 30's and has never stopped. What I consider is a very layman's explanation of what is going on is this: As we hit the sac & slowly doze off, a sort of 'gate' between our brain & the rest of our body closes. (Except for vital involuntary things like breathing, heart beating etc...). Mine doesn't close entirely as if there were a hole in it allowing some erroneous "firing" of an or several neurons sending these signals to the muscles in my leg, causing heavy-duty movements! This is what I was told by a neurologist.
I still wonder if that is the case or if the leg has a 'mind' of it's own.
The Clonazepam is slowly destroying my memory....and this I know for sure. Man! I sure hope science finds a cure for this so all of us affected can live normal healthy, full of energy lives.

This is my story and I'm sticking to it!
Bob M. (Canada)

I've been having leg and back spasms since I was about 18 (starting in back migrating into legs). Im 25 now and I can barely walk im in so much pain all the time, like muscle fatigue. After about a mile, one of my two legs will just stop working. I'll be sending the signal, but there's practically no response. Aches terrible. Back spasms will get so bad when im sleeping that it will jerk me awake in a kind of ) ( movement. Picking things up (more then once or twice) is near impossible. Leg spasms are more like a shuddering motion (like a rapid jerking of random muscles instead of a hard jerk of one or two muscles)

I bring this up, because it didnt get severe until I had food poisoning in Mississippi. Terrible day, during all the ... food poisoning... i aggravated a muscle on my tailbone and that was an awful experience. Since then however, is when my leg problems got worse.

I'm going to a bunch of doctors, but can only afford free ones (as im on the bottom of the economic food chain if you will. It's really hard to get out of that when you cant move more then a few blocks a day) The last ones concluded that it wasn't degenerative arthritis like they were thiking and so theyre sending me to a neurologist whos willing to work my case for free next week. *crosses fingers, im tired of being a mystery*

"I was born with what my parents could describe as the start of spina-bifida. Literally was a hole at the base of my spine covered with a thin fragile skin. When I was only 5 days old my parents had me operated on at a neurological hospital in Montreal. This I assume 'arrested' the development of more Spina-bifida? I can't be sure as my parents are no longer with us. Anyway just a thought, a person always wonders why one is affected by something that 'ails' you."

-Interesting, When I was at the hospital in Miss. They said I had a "trace of spinobifida" which my other doctors said didnt make any sense and just ruled it out.

I have been having leg spasms since last fall. Last fall was the worst of it. I had several to the point of ER visits. I have seen cardiology and endocrinology and they were both negative. As I read these statements, I feel more and more like my spasms are a result of RLS. I do not think I tend to move my leg when I am asleep, but when it wakes me up, I definitely move my leg around. It only affects my left leg. I also have a back issue, spina bifida occulta, which is a malformation of 2 of my vertabrae in my lower back. I currently take Zanaflex and Vicodin at night. I also occassionally take Xanax.

After reading several of these statements, I may be revisiting my doctor to ask him to treat for RLS and see if it works. I realize that I may not be helping many of you with my posting, but you have certainly helped me.

Thanks

wow! My name is Dana and I am 37 years old I was born with cerebral palsy (mild) and one of my main issues is every night my leg feels as if it is moving I notice if I prop my leg up because mine seems to be focused behind my right knee and bend my knee out I seem to have some relief. It seems to start about half and hour after I lay down for the night and last until about 4am in the morning. I have tried tylenol pm and flexeril but none of it seems to work. My dr wont give me the new RLS meds because she insists that mine is not RLS but rather a condition directly related to my CP. As I read the many postings all the syptoms seem the same. Movement getting up out of bed and walking or sitting on the edge of the bed putting pressure on the back of my knee seems to ease the nerve. I hear alot of people mention mirapex. What are the side effects and does it work. I was considering talking to the dr about lunesta or ambien cr but I dont think that will address the issue because tired is not the problem movement is the issue. I am open for any suggestions. Luckily I have a very understanding partner and we will fight this thing together. I dont know about everyone else but most people seem to think since I do not have pain but rather spasms I shouldnt be complaining but after about 90 minutes of sleep a night I think we leg sufferers are entitled

I started having leg spasms and trouble with my knees about 2 months ago. Several people mentioned to me that they had had problems like that and it turned out to be a lack of calcium which supplies the muscles with elasticity and bones with strength. The bones become weakened from the lack of calcium and the muscles suffer from trying to support the bone while they have the same lack of calcium. I started taking 1500mg of gel cap calcium citrate with 750mg of magnesium and a 50mg complex B vitamin from the health food store and have greatly improved! It is best taken nightly before bed with milk or yogurt and absorbs best during sleep and rest. I now eat alot of the "good" yogurt and lowfat cottage cheese and I drink lowfat milk. I also cut down on caffeine and have cut down on smoking on the way to quitting altogether. Of course be sure to check this with your doctor or health care professional before starting. It takes about a month to really feel the effects so hang in there! Please note that 90% of all physical ailments come from dietary and stress issues!!! The drug companies would have us believe otherwise. Hope this helps somebody! Janie

Ive got a tummy bug of some sort at the moment, (The Squits) Have had it for 4 days now... My leg has started having spasms also... since thursday.
(So 3 days now) Every 5 seconds it vibrates, its more annoying than anything, and isnt painful at all. It doesnt matter if im sitting, lying or standing. Its just continuous. I thought it was from standing all day at the counter at work. Its the top of my leg, half way between my knee and hip. Any idea what that is? Is it the same thing? If it continues im goin to make an appointment at my local gp on monday, coz its annoying the heck outta me.

For those that have muscle cramps after stomach problems I think I have the solution. Dehydration can cause the cramping. Along with causing dehydration, stomach problems can deplete your potassium and calcium. Deficiency in these two vitamins can cause cramps. Try to drink plenty of fluids and take a supplement with potassium and calcium. (Or eat foods rich in calcium and potassium.)

i to have have had spasms in my leg (mostly left)between my knee and hip itd dead annoying i just want rid of it some 1 please help me as im going crazy

I have spasms all the time like you guys are talking about, and it hurts really bad. I've come to live with it but I could live without it. Are there test I can get to see if I have RLS or something? Because if there is meds for this, I would love them. Because I can't sleep at night because I have to walk around. And I'm only 15... and if this keeps getting worst, I'll go crazy.

I first developed RLS about 12 years ago. I get the spasms in my left leg lasting up to 5 seconds and repeating through the night, often increasing in intensity until I get up. At the time I was under a lot of stress and chalked it up to that, not seeking any relief. I found that if I slept on my right side and bent my left leg bringing the left knee up towards my stomach the spasms stopped. Using a pillow for my leg made it more comfortable. Eventually I saw a doctor who told me this was caused by my brain mis-interpreting falling asleep as "dying", and sending signals to my leg as a "wake up/don't die" response, and that there was nothing that can be done about it. I took his word as fact and learned to live with it. It's gotten worse the last few years, and changing sleeping positions doesn't help as much. I'm thankful to find these posts and learn there is more to it. I'll see another Dr. and finally get a 2nd opinion.