Sufferers of Restless Legs
Syndrome experience a wide range of
uncomfortable sensations during
inactivity, usually in the
legs, but sometimes in the
arms and
trunk, making it difficult for them to
relax and to
fall asleep. These sensations are variously described as, "
pulling,
drawing,
crawling,
wormy,
boring,
tingling,
pins and needles,
prickly..." (source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke website at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/restless_doc.htm), and are accompanied by an
overwhelming urge to move the affected body part. There is no known
cure, and
symptoms often worsen over time. Pain killers occasionally offer some
relief.
Restless Legs Syndrome is also known as 'Jimmy Legs', under which name it was once featured in an episode of Seinfeld — Kramer's girlfriend suffered from it, and it was later revealed that George Costanza's mother was also a sufferer, although in actual fact, as George's father explained, she had "the Jimmy Arms.... like you w'n't beleef!".