Restless Leg Syndrome & Drop Foot

About Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless Leg Syndrome (RSL) as defined by the National Institute of Health is a neurological disorder characterized by throbbing, pulling, creeping or other unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable and sometimes overwhelming urge to move them. Symptoms occur more at night than during the day. RSL may affect 10% of the population.

Causes for restless leg syndrome are unknown at this time

Conventional Treatment
Medication may help symptoms, but does not correct it. Other conservative treatments are available but have limited effectiveness and can be discussed with your doctor.

New Treatment
We see many patients with nerve conditions that we treat with surgical decompression surgery.  While performing these surgeries it has been observed that nerve decompression can be very successful for restless leg syndrome.

The surgery involves decompression of two primary nerve tunnels, the common peroneal nerve and the superficial peroneal nerve, a 30 -40 minute procedure.  The patent may ambulate the next day and symptoms are often times relieved immediately. Our early findings show very high success rates of approximately 90%.  We are currently documenting clinical research on restless leg syndrome and will soon publish findings to support what we are seeing in practice.  We are very excited to be able to offer relief to patients afflicted by this difficult disorder.  Dr. Anderson is very interested in pioneering this new concept of nerve decompression as a very vital option to permanently relieve restless leg syndrome.

About Drop Foot
Symptoms of Drop Foot, also known as Foot Drop, are weakness of the ankle and inability to pull the foot and toes upward or move the foot from side to side.

Causes of drop foot generally involve the common peroneal nerve. The nerve goes through a nerve tunnel on the outside of the upper leg and can be compressed in this area (like carpal tunnel syndrome of the wrist)

The compression can be caused from:

•  A congenitally tight nerve tunnel
• Trauma to leg or knee
• Hip replacement or knee surgery
• Diabetes

Treatment
The symptoms of drop foot can be permanently resolved with surgery similar to carpal tunnel surgery. The surgery is performed outpatient and usually takes no more than 30 minutes. Patients return home the same day and can ambulate immediately.  This procedure can reverse the weakness associated with drop foot and allow patients to ambulate without fear of falling. We have had the opportunity to see patients discard their canes or walkers and transition to a lifestyle where they can exercise on a treadmill without assists.  And most importantly the increased stability can help prevent falls and hip fractures in the senior population, which can lead to a significant increase in their general well-being and health.