Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) seems to become more common over the course of the last 5 to 10 years. We’ll look to answer the questions that follow. What is Restless Leg Syndrome? Why are so many people getting “Restless Leg Syndrome”? How do you fix RLS?

Restless Leg Syndrome is the feeling of a necessity to move the legs to relieve an unpleasant sensation, typically in the legs, but also possible in the arms or other areas of the body. Typically, when the person moves around, the symptoms subside. However, upon after returning to their original position, the sensations return. The symptoms are usually position dependent, meaning that they have them whenever they are in a specific position for a period of time. Laying down or sitting are the most common positions that cause these symptoms.

In all honesty, this is probably not a condition or set of symptoms that has become more common over recent years. It is more likely that the diagnosis has simply become more well-known to the public. As the diagnosis has become more public, more patients have mentioned their symptoms to their physician upon their next visit. It may also be true that this has been used in the same manner as “Fibromyalgia” as a blanket diagnosis for sleep related movement disorders that otherwise might go unclassified. The symptoms are wide ranging and vary from person to person.

So, what is the treatment? Medically, there is no widely accepted regimen for treatment of this diagnosis. There are a number of different medicines that have been prescribed for the condition with varied benefit. Typically the patient is instructed to reduce stress and increase exercise as a mean to decrease symptoms.

My question is, why not Chiropractic? Why does Chiropractic make sense? Let me explain. Typically, when you see people with these type of sensations in the leg, it is in connection with direct pressure upon the nerves that feed that area of the leg. This pressure can be due to muscle spasm, misalignment of the bones of the low back and pelvis, or both. It is quite plausible that these people are simply living with some bones improperly aligned in their low back and/or pelvis. Maybe the misalignment is mild when standing and moving, but laying down to go to sleep is increasing the amount of direct pressure on a nerve or nerves that feed the leg due to how they lay when sleeping. I have treated multiple patients who have come to my office claiming to suffer from restless leg syndrome with great results. These treatments involved nothing more than spinal adjustments, physiotherapy and a light home exercise program. Give one of our offices a call today and see if Chiropractic is right for you.

GOT RLS? TRY PREMIER CHIROPRACTIC

Dr. Joshua McDowell
Fayetteville Accident & Injury Center

How does one one know they are doing everything they can to heal after an injury? Receiving chiropractic care is essential in just about all cases, but have you considered that the foods you take in can have a positive or negative effect on the speed of your recovery? They do, and here are a few suggestions to improve the rate of reovery.

Food items that one should make sure they have enough of daily after an injury, like a car accident or fall, would be those that contain high levels of vitamin A. Products with high Vitamin A content help with cell growth and the immune system. Foods like sweet potato, carrots, liver, mango, turnip greens, papaya, and red bell peppers are rich in this vitamin.
Fruits and vegatables that are high in vitamin C like oranges, berries, broccoli, cabbages, tomatoes, and cantaloupe help the body form collagen. Collagen is a protein needed for strength and flexibility. It repairs tendons and strengthens bone.

Zinc has also been found to be beneficial after an injury because of its wound healing effects. Foods like meat, seafood, sunflower seeds, and almonds contain zinc. Cold water fish, in particular, have components that reduce pain and inflammation and have been found to be more effective than NSAIDs(nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs).

You may be thinking, “That is all well and good, but who eats a perfectly healthy diet?” I agree, but if you want to heal more effectively and more quickly, you need to reduce pain and inflammation quickly. This can be done by reducing or avoiding foods, at least in the short term, that are fried or contain trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or a lot of sugar.

Examples of these are: French fries, fried chicken or fish, doughnuts, cookies, cakes ,and potato chips. These items have been clearly shown to make inflammation worse. Fried foods have also been linked to chronic diseases like kidney disease and diabetes. For those who are overweight, it is even more essential to make the change, because fat cells produce extra inflammatory chemicals.

Eat well.

The Consumer Federation of America released a report in June 2012 that contained some interesting information about how insurance companies may manipulate information that is input into their claims adjusting software.  While it is certainly not acceptable for providers to elevate injury claims by providing false, incomplete or misleading information it is equally unacceptable for insurance companies to engage in this behavior to reduce or deny patient benefits.

The Consumer Federation of America is an association of nearly 300 nonprofit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy and education.  This report shows instances of insurance adjusters with no formal medical education or credentials second guessing medical professionals by altering details of the medical reports and choosing injury/diagnosis codes that yield lower recommended settlement values.  Many consumers are unaware that these “claims adjusting” systems are even being used.  There are many different types of these systems with some of the most widely used being Colossus and TEACH.  Information concerning the diagnosis and treatment is input into these systems and the recommended settlement offers are produced by the computers.  More information is becoming available that suggests that these systems can be manipulated at any time in an effort to reduce payment to the injured party.  If you are interested in reading the entire report please click here.