Sensory and motor components of the restless legs syndrome

The restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by two major manifestations: dysesthesias in the legs and irresistible leg movements. We developed a procedure to quantify these manifestations, and we studied their temporal interrelationships. We found that many dysesthesias may either closely precede or follow occurrences of EMG-defined leg activity, or both manifestations may occur independently. These results suggest that the sensory and motor components of RLS may represent two distinct manifestations of a common basic neurologic defect.