Chiropractor Treatment for Restless Leg Syndrome

Though medical science has been unable to determine a definitive cause of Restless Leg Syndrome, an article in The Chiropractic Journal by Dr. Howard Loomis points to structural problems as the probable cause of this potentially serious condition. Therefore, he reasons, RLS patients would be better served by chiropractic "correction" than traditional, pharmaceutical treatment for RLS.

Lower Extremity Instability

• Loomis believes chiropractic correction in the instability of “the feet, ankles, legs, knees, and hips is mandatory” to correct some of the causes of RLS.

Exercise

• A regular walking regimen seems to have been most successful in the alleviation of RLS symptoms. In addition, Loomis suggests specific exercises “for strengthening the pelvis, lumbo-sacral angle and intervertebral discs are important.”

Lumbo-Sacral and Pelvic Area

• Chiropractic therapy for pelvic and lumbo-sacral (lower back, and a bone situated near the lower end of the spinal column) instability is instrumental in symptom alleviation, according to Loomis. In an article by Dr. Donald Free in "The American Chiropractor," Free states, "The most effective treatment we have found to relieve the symptoms of RLS is proper spinal manipulation."

Leg Stretches and Electro-Micro-Current Therapy

• Free also suggests application of electrical micro-current therapy and corrective exercises to maintain the spinal corrections. Loomis suggests beginning and ending the day “by stretching (hamstring shortening) the legs” can be helpful in the alleviation of RLS symptoms.

Advantage of Chiropractic Treatment For RLS

• Chiropractic treatment for RLS is better than the traditional, pharmaceutical approach because it treats each patient’s specific and exact cause of RLS rather than the pharmaceutical, one-size-fits-all treatment and its associated side effects, according to Loomis.