Restless Leg Syndrome

“I'm curious how many here have the RLS condition and if there is a possible link that backpacking may have in it's cause or treatment. If you have RLS, does a day of backpacking alleviate or aggravate the symptoms, or have no noticeable effect?
last edited: 12/14/06 12:06:28 AM”

“I know that they prescribe GABA inhibitors for it, but not sure what mechanisms are at work specifically. I also know that they prescribe the same drugs for distal neuropathy (pain associated after prolonged loss of blood flow to a limb (as from a blood clot) even after blood flow has been restored. Not sure how backpacking could be a cause of such...not sure about its use as a treatment...although I always say that backpacking is great therapy for any ailment:)”

“You might say my ex wife had a restless leg; not sure what hiking did for it. Divorce helped me:)”

“USA, are you a Rush Limbaugh subscriber?

If so, he has some information under "Rush Limbaugh Greats".

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/parody.guest.html

I hope that helps.”

“LOL@nimble.....”

“Didn't you have Shiftless Leg Syndrome, Nimble?”

“No shifting needed; full speed ahead.”

“adjective 1. lacking in resourcefulness; inefficient; lazy.
2. lacking in incentive, ambition, or aspiration.

Man, you're takin' it the wrong way!”

“I don't want to stop the fun. But I do want to point out that RLS is a very disruptive condition. As far as effects it can have on backpacking, because the muscles tend to have a mind of their own, balance can be seriously compromised. Hiking along a ridgeline or slides can be an exercise in trust every time the foot goes down. Is the leg gonna be steady or not?

So, by all means, have fun with the jokes, but for those of us who deal with it, be mindful of the condition.”

“You choose your definition, I'll choose mine.

Ramblinrev - I believe I have a very mild form of it, not making fun of it, just having fun.”

“Sorry Rev, I gotta mess with Nimblefoot often enough so that he knows his place.

I have been on some deathmarches that left my legs twitching and sleep on a Thermarest wasn't fun.”

“nimblefoot... I understand that and I am not offended. But for those who do not understand the syndrome it can appear kind of funny. So I was just adding some perspective. By all means lets have fun. It is a strange thing and it helps to be silly about it at times.”

“Is it RLS that may cause your legs to twitch, jump and spasm, most often when asleep, but not necessarily? If so, I have had it for years. If not, MarkO is right and I'm just shiftless. Actually, I don't have a problem with being shiftless; it's the concept of MarkO somehow being right that scares the bejesus out of me.
last edited: 12/14/06 7:55:33 AM”

“Nimblefoot... That sounds like , oh Lord I hate to post this cause it is gonna get flamed but good, it sounds like PLMS which stands for Periodic Limb (leg) Movements in Sleep. It is a related condition to RLS but for some reason or other they have given them two different diagnostic codes. I have both. They have gotten worse as I get older.

But yes, one of the treatments for restless leg syndrome may indeed be to yield to "wanderlust".”

“So, MarkO is, at best, half right. That's actually an impressive amount of progress for him (0 to 50 in about 50 odd years...very odd at that).”

“I get restless legs when I'm running a lot, >40 miles /wk. Is that RLS?
FWIW, I never noticed an effect from backpacking, even w/ 20 mile days.
It mostly affects me when I'm lying down & going to sleep. It makes it hard to get to sleep for me, & also keeps the wife awake.
I've found icing my legs (cold water from the hose) after a long run helps a lot.
It's mostly an inconvience, but I can see where a more severe case would really suck.
last edited: 12/14/06 9:32:07 AM”

“My father in law has pretty severe plms, although my mother in law calls it "restless legs." He takes parkinson's disease related medications to alleviate the symptoms.”

“RLS is usually diagnosed when the situation happens without attributable cause. Muscle fatigue from exertion can certainly bring on a similar effect. But my legs will jerk and shake for no reason whatever. I did not even know it was happening in sleep until I had a sleep study done to check for apnea. My legs were moving an average of every 45 seconds. For as long as I can remember I have had attacks of my legs just shaking, jerking or moving for no discernible reason. It is weird. As I have gotten older, the condition has gotten worse. So needless to say, hiking along a drop off is a rather worrisome situation. I realized how dramatic the effect was when I was hiking the West Rim Trail this summer. Coupled with the neuropathy which affects the ability to feel the ground under my feet, it was slow going at times to make sure I was securely positioned on the trail.”

“I have it for sure...well my hubby says I kick him all night long..I'm usually asleep so I can't confirm or deny that!”

“yikes. Good luck with that, RamblinRev.”