Diagnosing Restless Leg Syndrome - RLS

There are no specific tests for detecting RLS as such but the patient suspected of suffering from this ailment may be tested to identify any other causes for their problem such as vitamin deficiency, anemia etc. Generally the National Institute of Health and independent study groups such as International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group have agreed on the presence of following four symptoms that confirm the presence of RLS in a patient.

* A patient exhibits an overwhelming need or urge to move their limbs especially legs to relieve themselves of unpleasant and unusual sensations such as pain, tingling, burning, numbness etc.

* A temporary relief is experienced by the patient upon movement of the affected limbs. The unpleasant sensations disappear for a while but their recurrence is almost inevitable.

* The symptoms of RLS seem to be most severe at night. This is almost the case with everyone suffering with RLS while the mornings are almost trouble free, the
symptoms start getting worse as the night approaches.

* The symptoms affect the patient almost entirely during their periods of rest or sleep. In any case the worse instances of RLS are experienced during prolonged periods of inactivity such as sitting through meetings or while sleeping.

Once the doctor has confirmed the presence of the above mentioned four basic criteria he shall continue with the in-depth evaluation of patient. Patient’s medical history is a vital tool in this regards and as such all previous medical issues must be carefully examined. Attention must also be paid to the medical history of patient’s family members as RLS is known to run in the family. Thereafter the doctor or the medical professional examining the patient must check the medications or food supplements etc. that the patient may be taking. A review of patient’s diet chart or eating habits would also be helpful as RLS has known links with vitamin deficiencies.

In addition to the above, doctor may also enquire about the patient’s daily routine, his general feeling throughout the day and his performance at work etc. In some cases the doctor may ask the patient to go through an overnight sleep test in a sleep clinic. This would help determining the actual cause of sleep disturbance. Having gone through the entire process as detailed above, the doctor now gets a good perspective of patient’s health condition which enables him to make the correct diagnosis.