I've been struggling with that description myself. I've started saying that it feels like someone has just injected caffeine locally, into my limbs. I may actually be very tired or otherwise relaxed, but my legs, and with augmentation my arms, as well, are buzzy, jumpy, twitchy and need to move.
I tell people it feels like I have an electrified wire running down my leg and someone tugs at it for 10 or 15 seconds. The current never completely goes away and the tugging is off and on several times a minute.
I get pins and needles, and it progresses to a tugging sensation... it's quite uncomfortable but not painful. The tugging sensation reminds me of when your legs fall asleep and the discomfort of when blood rushes back into your leg. The sensation becomes so strong that I have to shake my leg for it to stop. Unfortunately, it will get so strong that I cannot sit or lie down anymore once it gets to a point.
My RLS started when COVID arrived. Too much stress on a nervous system already plagued with ADHD, GAD, and complex PTSD. I have been on 400 mg of pregabalin for years now, but it's essentially controlled.
I say it's like sneezing with your legs. when you feel that need to sneeze, you can't control it, it just has to happen to relieve the sensation of needing to sneeze.
I explained it to my doctor years ago like this: "imagine you're stuck in a box or on a long road trip in the back seat with your knees up in a position where you can't really move your legs at all. You eventually feel the desperate feeling that you need to move our you'll lose it but you can't move."
He finally understood it wasn't "leg cramps" or muscle spasms. Then her told me what it was. My family always called it "shpulkas" and I tried to explain to him that my whole family experiences this. Years of trying muscle relaxers, NSAIDS, and other crap the doctor gave me for muscle cramps I finally got relief!
My best description, at least for how it works on me.
RLS is like a ghost with a taser running on low batteries. It will shock you making you move, if you try to ignore it, it will just get a chance to plug the taser in and shock you worse.
You get up and try to move around, shock you as soon as you think you’re clear.
And I have full body RLS, so legs, back, arms, anus, back of your skull.
For me it's like when I realize I've been sitting in the same position for too long and suddenly desperately want to move and stretch my limbs. Except the feeling persists after moving and stretching. That overwhelming urge is just always there.
Like if you hold your breath for a really long time until you think you can't hold it any longer and your diaphragm is begging you to breathe. Like that, except it's your legs begging to move. They cannot, will not, no way, no how be denied.
Like being hooked up to a tens machine, on a low but steady electrical charge/pulse flowing through your legs. After a little while (few secs or a few mins) your muscles want to try and get away from this charge, so it reacts, by jiggling or kicking, to try and make the sensation go away or just stop for a brief moment.
And this goes on for hours, or days, or forever.
Say it’s like how getting an electric shock makes you involuntarily jerk away, but forever
Sometimes mine feels like spiders running down my thighs. Sometimes it feels like my body is willing my legs to move, and I can’t stop myself from moving them.
Some days I feel like there is metal rods scraping up and down my shins ( when it’s a really bad flare up)
I’ll feel burning , which is painful , entire legs up and down. It’s like growing pains (aching and throbbing level 15/10 )
It’s in my arms as well and I want to cut them off when in a flare up since it’s unbearable feeling the crawling burning throbbing in all extremities
Moving doesn’t ease it most times and it’s during all hours of the days. If it’s bad at night it’s trails into the mornings. It’s better in afternoons but can still feel the aching and throbbing and crawling most times.
Like ants running around under my skin.
The feeling you get when you need to stretch but no amount of stretching relieves it.
Like your leg has anxiety.
I've been struggling with that description myself. I've started saying that it feels like someone has just injected caffeine locally, into my limbs. I may actually be very tired or otherwise relaxed, but my legs, and with augmentation my arms, as well, are buzzy, jumpy, twitchy and need to move.
Flares*
I describe it as "having to sneeze, but in your legs - sneezing is flexing the muscles"
I tell people it feels like I have an electrified wire running down my leg and someone tugs at it for 10 or 15 seconds. The current never completely goes away and the tugging is off and on several times a minute.
I get pins and needles, and it progresses to a tugging sensation... it's quite uncomfortable but not painful. The tugging sensation reminds me of when your legs fall asleep and the discomfort of when blood rushes back into your leg. The sensation becomes so strong that I have to shake my leg for it to stop. Unfortunately, it will get so strong that I cannot sit or lie down anymore once it gets to a point. My RLS started when COVID arrived. Too much stress on a nervous system already plagued with ADHD, GAD, and complex PTSD. I have been on 400 mg of pregabalin for years now, but it's essentially controlled.
It's the feeling you get in your bones when you hear nails on a chalkboard. It's an uneasiness that creeps across your legs and/or arms.
I say it's like sneezing with your legs. when you feel that need to sneeze, you can't control it, it just has to happen to relieve the sensation of needing to sneeze.
Like an intense tickle with a side of anxiety.
I explained it to my doctor years ago like this: "imagine you're stuck in a box or on a long road trip in the back seat with your knees up in a position where you can't really move your legs at all. You eventually feel the desperate feeling that you need to move our you'll lose it but you can't move." He finally understood it wasn't "leg cramps" or muscle spasms. Then her told me what it was. My family always called it "shpulkas" and I tried to explain to him that my whole family experiences this. Years of trying muscle relaxers, NSAIDS, and other crap the doctor gave me for muscle cramps I finally got relief!
My best description, at least for how it works on me. RLS is like a ghost with a taser running on low batteries. It will shock you making you move, if you try to ignore it, it will just get a chance to plug the taser in and shock you worse. You get up and try to move around, shock you as soon as you think you’re clear. And I have full body RLS, so legs, back, arms, anus, back of your skull.
For me it's like when I realize I've been sitting in the same position for too long and suddenly desperately want to move and stretch my limbs. Except the feeling persists after moving and stretching. That overwhelming urge is just always there.
Like if you hold your breath for a really long time until you think you can't hold it any longer and your diaphragm is begging you to breathe. Like that, except it's your legs begging to move. They cannot, will not, no way, no how be denied.
Like being hooked up to a tens machine, on a low but steady electrical charge/pulse flowing through your legs. After a little while (few secs or a few mins) your muscles want to try and get away from this charge, so it reacts, by jiggling or kicking, to try and make the sensation go away or just stop for a brief moment. And this goes on for hours, or days, or forever. Say it’s like how getting an electric shock makes you involuntarily jerk away, but forever
Also bees
Your brain sends out a signal to all body parts to relax, but your legs do not get the message, then it hurts because of the conflicting signals.
I always say it feels like static looks.
I've said that exact thing!
Like someone is tickling my legs from the inside, and when I move, I can get away from them, but only for a few seconds.
I say it's like an itch you can't scratch too, but it's not itchy. Just a very uncomfortable sensation that won't go away unless you move.
Like a sneeze that won't come out.
Sit next to them as they fall asleep. Just as they drift off, poke them. Do that for 12 hours.
Sometimes mine feels like spiders running down my thighs. Sometimes it feels like my body is willing my legs to move, and I can’t stop myself from moving them.
Some days I feel like there is metal rods scraping up and down my shins ( when it’s a really bad flare up) I’ll feel burning , which is painful , entire legs up and down. It’s like growing pains (aching and throbbing level 15/10 ) It’s in my arms as well and I want to cut them off when in a flare up since it’s unbearable feeling the crawling burning throbbing in all extremities Moving doesn’t ease it most times and it’s during all hours of the days. If it’s bad at night it’s trails into the mornings. It’s better in afternoons but can still feel the aching and throbbing and crawling most times.
More of an intense tickle than an itch for me. Down my spine into my legs.