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The Effects of Knee Replacement Surgery on RLS

Restless leg syndrome, or RLS, is a condition also referred to as Wittmaack-Ekbom's syndrome. This is a condition characterized by the need to keep moving your body to escape from odd and uncomfortable sensations. This syndrome can affect any part of the body but is usually experienced in the legs. When you move the the body parts, the sensations are modulated; this gives a temporary relief.

  1. Causes of Restless Leg Syndrome

    • There are many causes for a person to experience restless leg syndrome. Iron deficiency, which was until recent considered the most common cause of this syndrome, has recently been found out to be accountable for 20 percent of the total cases reported. There are several other conditions associated with the restless leg syndrome, such as varicose veins, magnesium deficiency, Parkinson's disease, thyroid disease, auto-immune disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. Once the underlying cause is found, the treatment of it can help treat the overall condition.

    Knee Replacement Surgery and its Effects on RLS

    • If the underlying cause of RLS is found to be rheumatoid arthritis, knee replacement can help treat the condition to an extent. However, along with the replacement surgery, it is important to take care of the diet so that important nutrients like iron and folates, a deficiency of which can cause the syndrome, are consumed in the required amounts. RLS tends to aggravate during pregnancy or with old age and therefore should be addressed as soon as the first symptoms begin to appear.

    Treatment of Restless Leg Syndrome

    • The treatment of restless leg syndrome chiefly depends on the underlying causes of the disorder. For those who experience the symptoms of this disease daily, the treatment includes dopamine agonists. Opioids are also used to treat the syndrome. The treatment should never be performed until precipitation medical conditions are identified and ruled out. It has been seen that drug therapy is usually not curative in this disorder and surgeries like knee replacement may have to be performed.

    Prognosis

    • While various treatment methods are approached for the treatment of restless leg syndrome, none of these have been completely successful. Complex surgeries may also give only temporary relief. As the age progresses, the symptoms of the syndrome begin to worsen. The disorder may reach a point where there is constant pain and discomfort in the parts of the body which are affected by the syndrome.

    Considerations

    • For any organ transplant or replacement surgeries, there are chances of infection. Though rare, infection of the joint is possible in case of those who have received a replacement of the knee. There are other complications like deep vein thrombosis, instability of the new joint and partial or complete immobility in the joint. The knee replacement surgery is recommended only when the condition is very severe and there is not other treatment alternative.

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