Right, Left, STRETCH! Yoga and Complementary Therapies for RLS

Right Left Stretch – a handy acronym for restless legs syndrome (RLS) sufferers who have chosen to tackle their symptoms with yoga.

Yoga poses and stretches can help ease the horrid tingling, itching, and creepiness sensations attributed to RLS. They may even reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and help you achieve restful sleep.

Discovering complementary medicine

Whilst researching for this piece, I came across some yoga pose images. Whilst some have warnings attached to them, i.e., "Do not try this pose if you have high blood pressure, are pregnant, having your period, or are diabetic," some look easily achievable by even the most inflexible of us.

I believe that complementary medicine is worth investigating when suffering from RLS. Many sufferers have RLS alongside several other conditions, taking a vast amount of medication on a daily basis. It is nice to at least search for a result that doesn’t make you feel even more fatigued.

Looking for easily accessible options

In 2018, a research review was undertaken which highlighted that exercise training, transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation, pneumatic compression devices, light therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and acupuncture may help RLS symptoms.¹

Whilst most of these therapies would require interaction with medical professionals, exercise training and acupuncture can be accessed readily.

I Googled (other search engines are available) myself into a corner trying to find placements of acupuncture needles to ease RLS symptoms when I came across more research that has lent me to understand that RLS can be handled in many ways.²

It's your choice

Either conventional or complementary medicines, whichever way you choose to deal with your symptoms, is very much down to you.

My acupuncture experience

Traditional acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years, ensuring Qi (pronounced ‘chee’) flows freely through the body. However, Western medicine uses it to stimulate sensory nerves under the skin and in the muscles, producing endorphins that help relieve pain.

For those of you who are afraid of needles (trypanophobia) out there, let me put your mind at rest. In my experience, the needles used for acupuncture were very fine, not like your usual hypodermic needle. They were manufactured pre-sterilised and disposed of after use.

What does acupuncture feel like?

In my experience, they are inserted just under the skin, deeper if they are needed to reach a muscle. Once in place, they are left in place for a period of time, from a few minutes up to 30 minutes. The sensations you may feel are a tingling or dull ache when the needles are being inserted.

In my personal experience, I can actually attest to the wonderful results of acupuncture, as I had a 6-week session many years ago. Unfortunately, before I developed RLS, it helped my pain considerably. I was most upset when the National Health Service removed it due to costs. If you are able to access the service, you never know, it may help.