Managing patients with restless legs

Estimates suggest that around 10-15% of adults have restless legs, or Ekbom syndrome. This condition is characterised by a range of uncomfortable and sometimes distressing motor and sensory symptoms during quiet wakefulness and/or sleep, such as feelings of burning, tickling or crawling, pain, cramping, numbness or weakness in the lower limbs, and, sometimes, also in the trunk and arms. The problem can seriously affect quality of life, yet is frequently dismissed as trivial. Often, it is unrecognised, incorrectly regarded as a neurosis, or managed poorly or not at all. Here we review how people with restless legs can best be helped.