Why does a person shake his leg? External is a sign of internal. Legs twitch in sleep

Limbs are the most common movement disorder in patients. In some cases, tremor is observed not only in the hands, but also in the legs. These involuntary movements caused by the rhythmic alternation of muscle contraction and relaxation. Trembling may be invisible to others, but is felt by the person himself.

Such physiological tremor legs arises in a state alcohol intoxication, at strong excitement, fear, hypothermia, general weakness. It can intensify with physical fatigue. For example, after long work standing in one position may cause the so-called orthostatic tremor legs, which disappears when lying down, sitting or walking.

It also occurs pathological tremor legs He is noticeable to people around him. It is a sign of a number of diseases (see causes).

Leg tremors can occur at any age: both in infants and adolescence, both in adults and in old age.

Causes

In newborns Leg tremors are associated with immaturity of the endocrine and nervous systems. Any irritant (intestinal colic, crying, feeding, teething) can cause tremor of the arms, legs, and chin in a newborn. If tremor persists beyond 3 months of age, it may be associated with cerebral hypoxia during intrauterine development, fetoplacental insufficiency, etc. In such cases, consultation with a neurologist is necessary. Very often, tremor of one or both legs (arms) is observed in premature babies.

Leg tremors often begin in children V adolescence , the cause is hormonal changes in the body. Trembling legs are often caused by muscle strain as a result of underdosed exercise. Moreover, the less trained the body, the more likely the occurrence of tremor.

Reasons pathological tremor limbs(upper and lower) there may be the following diseases and conditions:

• Parkinson's disease ( degenerative changes in motor cells of the brain);
• Konovalov-Wilson disease ( hereditary disease with accumulation of copper in organs and tissues;
• diseases thyroid gland;
• multiple sclerosis;
• liver and kidney failure;
• poisoning chemicals(for example, mercury);
• overdose of some medications(Amphetamine, antidepressants, tranquilizers, etc.);
• salt poisoning heavy metals;
• brain tumors;
• traumatic brain injuries;
• genetic predisposition.

Treatment of leg tremors

If tremor occurs repeatedly after psycho-emotional stress, and the problem is difficult to eliminate, sedatives are prescribed.

For the treatment of children -

This habit irritated me even then, at the very beginning of our work together. We are sitting at a meeting, completely calmly discussing work issues, and he sits and endlessly shakes his leg under the table. This was wildly distracting and terribly infuriating to me. I also thought that if I were his wife, I would definitely hit or yell at him.

External is a sign of internal

Here we are talking, discussing something, his phone is constantly ringing, he gives out instructions, gives commands, sends someone somewhere, makes appointments, and we sit and wonder how he can simultaneously hold so much information in his head to to rule everyone. And for him this normal condition. Because he, in concepts system-vector psychology Yuri Burlan, is the owner of the skin vector. He is a careerist, a breadwinner. For him, the main thing is benefit and benefit. He won't lift a finger for free. He has everything planned and calculated. He was born to spin.

When such a person has to repeat the same thing to someone several times or explain simple and logical things, as it seems to him, for the second time to incomprehensible interlocutors, he becomes very irritated. What a waste of water, time is money, so much time was wasted! “Let’s move on, everything is already clear” - have you heard such a phrase? This is him, the leather worker. In our dynamic times, such people are in great demand. They are easy-going, have a flexible psyche, and know how to adapt to a changing landscape.

The main thing is to achieve the desired result faster and at lower costs. Sometimes such people get so carried away that they take on too many projects, without ultimately having time to bring each of them to fruition. They don't have the patience to see things through to completion. Therefore, it is good when such a smart manager with a skin vector has a couple of reliable assistants with a different, anal vector, who can work through all projects to the smallest detail and bring them to the desired result. Otherwise, there is a risk of being left without profit. Organization and self-control are the keys to success.

Family life

Why does a person’s arms or legs suddenly begin to tremble? “Overworked, nervous, stressed!” - most often we habitually brush it off. And in most cases we turn out to be right.

But tremor (shaking) can be a symptom of more serious problems. The floor goes to our expert, neurologist, psychotherapist Igor Mikhalev.

Stress or tension?

Situations in which tremor is benign occur constantly in life. In this case, the trembling goes away on its own within a short time. For example, a person worked out in the gym or worked heartily in the garden. As a result, it is natural muscle fatigue. And what? worse person prepared physically, the more unusual the muscle loads are for the body, the higher the chance of tremor occurring. Consider this a symptom of stress. Naturally, in such cases no treatment is required. The man rested, and the tremor went away on its own.

Other everyday situations in which a one-time occurrence of tremor is normal and should not cause much concern are caused by stress. For example, severe fear. Your hands may tremble, and your head will begin to involuntarily make rhythmic movements reminiscent of nodding: “yes, yes,” “no, no.” And the voice will treacherously jump. These options emotional manifestation also explainable: as a result of stress in blood is flowing ejection huge amount hormones and nervous system there is a big burden. So some of us are starting to shake.

Don't care and forget?

One-time manifestations of benign tremor are not dangerous. It’s another matter if it occurs repeatedly after psycho-emotional stress. If the problem recurs periodically, especially at rest, this is serious reason go to the doctor.

Primary diagnosis is simple - tremor is determined visually. A competent doctor should treat a patient’s complaint with full responsibility, even if at the appointment the patient (as luck would have it!) does not have tremors. After all, it may be a sign of much more significant neurological disorders.

In any case, you need to start with the simplest measures - rest, basic adherence to the regime. Sometimes the doctor may recommend taking simple sedatives. If the tremors go away, the conclusion is simple: learn to rest!

“Kolotun” from pills and alcohol

You need to relax in the classic way - walking, mild physical loads. The “male formula” of rest - alcohol, or the “female formula” - with uncontrolled use of sedatives - are unacceptable, since they themselves can cause tremors. Especially for those who have already encountered the problem of trembling in stressful situations.

Tremor can also be the result of poisoning with toxic substances. The most common of them are alcohol and medications. By the way, the notorious alcoholic tremor usually goes away 20 minutes after taking a fresh shot. Wherein alcohol intoxication in its consequences it is sometimes much “richer” than medicinal drugs.

Addiction to antipsychotics can also lead to tremor. Some patients like to prescribe them themselves as a sedative. Or here’s an example from the recent “pharmaceutical” past: about two decades ago, a number of drugs for reducing the need included an antipsychotic. The person only wanted to adjust the pressure, but received an additional problem: against the background of intoxication, damage to the nervous system occurred.

Moreover, overindulgence medications can lead not just to tremor, but to Parkinson's disease. More precisely, to the so-called medicinal. So it’s better not to bring yourself to such a state.

Imagine this situation. You are tired, you went to bed late the night before, did not get enough sleep, you dreamed of rest all day, but as soon as you went to bed, you could forget about sleep. The reason is the legs, which for some reason decided to “start dancing.” An irresistible desire to move your legs at rest is the main symptom of a neurological disorder such as restless legs. What are the causes of the disease and is it possible to get rid of it?

Restless legs syndrome is difficult to diagnose. Symptoms are most pronounced at night, when the body is at rest. The disorder may accompany diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes or anemia. But not only. The syndrome also affects young and quite healthy people. And most often women suffer from this disease.

It twists, it aches, and it doesn’t let you sleep: what is restless leg syndrome?

Many have probably heard the common expression about crazy head, which gives no rest to the legs. If the definition of “bad” is replaced by “sick,” then the saying will accurately reflect the essence of restless legs syndrome (or Ekbom syndrome), which is manifested by such unpleasant sensations as crawling all over the body, burning, itching, trembling in the calves, legs, feet and even, sometimes, the hips.

Moreover, a person experiences all this when he is at rest, usually when he goes to bed. To pacify the legs, the sufferer is forced to constantly move his limbs or walk back and forth across the room. What a dream this is!

Science still cannot say for sure what exactly causes restless legs syndrome. According to one version, the biochemical processes occurring in the brain are to blame. In case of failure, due to a lack of dopamine - a special substance that is responsible for motor activity human, such a thing can develop strange behavior legs

Some sources provide statistical data according to which, in approximately 30% of patients, this disorder is hereditary. Restless legs syndrome is 1.5 times more common in women than in men. To date, it has been possible to isolate the genes responsible for the manifestation of this syndrome, which are located on chromosomes 12, 14 and 9. The disorder is more common in middle-aged and older people, but often first appears in people in their 20s and 30s. It happens that restless legs syndrome develops even in children and adolescents and progresses over the years.

The symptoms of the disorder, which later became known as restless legs syndrome, were first described in 1672 by the British physician Thomas Willis. More than a century passed before the Finnish doctor and scientist Carl Alex Ekbom showed interest in this disease in our days.

In 1943, Ekbom, already from the position modern medicine once again formulated the main symptoms of the disease, combining them under common name"restless legs" And then he added the term “syndrome”. Since then, this disorder has been referred to as both restless legs syndrome and Ekbom syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome can also develop due to other diseases. Most often this is iron deficiency in the body and uremia ( increased concentration urea in the blood), which is typical for patients with renal failure and undergoing hemodialysis. Symptoms of restless legs can also occur in pregnant women during the second and III trimesters. After childbirth everything discomfort, as a rule, disappear. But in in rare cases the disorder may last a lifetime. Other causes of the disease include obesity, which increases the risk of developing restless legs syndrome. The risk group includes young people under 20 years of age suffering from overweight. In neurological patients, this disorder can be caused by taking medicines or be accompanying symptom underlying disease.

Walking to Sleep: The Tricks of Restless Legs

As a rule, in most sufferers, unpleasant symptoms occur at least once a week, in some - more than twice a week. Restless legs syndrome has a clearly defined circadian rhythm, appearing and intensifying in the evening and night hours. The peak activity of the limbs occurs from 0 to 4 hours, gradually fading towards the morning. It turns out that instead of sleeping, a person is forced to walk around the apartment, stretching, bending, shaking or rubbing his itchy feet. During movement, the unpleasant sensations decrease or disappear, but as soon as a person goes back to bed, and sometimes even just stops, the legs again give no rest.

According to a number of researchers, approximately 25% of cases are associated with restless legs syndrome chronic disorder sleep.

Often the disease begins with the first symptoms making themselves felt 15-30 minutes after the person goes to bed. If the disease progresses, discomfort in the legs may appear not only at night, but also during the day. At severe course For restless legs syndrome, time of day does not matter. Legs require attention constantly and in a sitting position too. In such a state, people literally cannot find a place for themselves. Ordinary trips to the theater, cinema, visiting, flying on an airplane and driving a car become impossible. All this affects emotional state, often people with restless legs syndrome suffer from severe depression.

Some patients, in an attempt to alleviate their condition, organized real walking marathons, walking a total of 10-15 kilometers per night. A person sleeps for 15-20 minutes, then walks for the same amount.

The insidiousness of this disorder is that at the appointment, the doctor, as a rule, does not find any manifestations of the disease: the symptoms are not visible, but only felt by the person himself. It is not always possible for a specialist to make a correct diagnosis, because there are simply no special laboratory tests or studies that could confirm the presence of restless legs syndrome. Not identified so far specific disorders nervous system characteristic of this disorder. Often unpleasant sensations are associated with disease of the joints or veins.

For correct setting When making a diagnosis, it is very important to tell the neurologist in detail and accurately about your sensations, their regularity and intensity. To help the doctor and the patient not so long ago international group Based on the study of restless legs syndrome, basic criteria have been developed that can be used to determine whether a person has this disease:

• the need to move the legs is associated with the presence of unpleasant sensations in the limbs;
• the need to move the legs manifests itself at rest, in a lying or sitting position;
• movement weakens or relieves discomfort in the legs;
• the desire to move the legs occurs in the evening and at night; during the day there are either no manifestations or only minor ones.

By the way, the same international group studying restless legs syndrome created a scale to assess the severity of the syndrome. This is a questionnaire of 10 questions that the patient answers. That is, the patient himself evaluates the severity of the disease in accordance with his feelings.

Polysomnography will help clarify the diagnosis - a study during which the patient sleeps with sensors attached to the body, recording the processes of the nervous system and involuntary physical activity.

Using polysomnography, based on the number of periodic leg movements during sleep (this is typical for patients with restless legs syndrome), the severity of the disease can be determined:

• mild degree - 5-20 movements per hour
• average degree - 20 – 60 movements per hour
• severe - more than 60 movements per hour

It won't hurt to pass general analysis blood, as well as blood for the content of iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, glucose, since, as already noted, restless legs syndrome may be a consequence of an underlying disease.

Help will come: how to calm yourself and your legs

The problem of night wanderings can and should be solved. If the unpleasant sensations are associated with any disease, then, of course, we must try to cure the root cause. For iron deficiency, the doctor may prescribe therapy with iron supplements in the form of tablets or intravenous and intramuscular injections under the control of serum ferritin levels. IN case of lung manifestations of the disease can be helped by sleeping pills and tranquilizers; in more severe situations, drugs that affect the production of dopamine in the body. Important: all medications must be selected and prescribed only by a specialist.

Besides drug treatment, there are other ways to calm restless legs syndrome:

• 1 Set of exercises. Squats, stretching, leg flexion-extension, toe raises, normal walking (preferably on fresh air) - all this is good for restless legs. You should do physical exercise before going to bed. Just don't overdo it; excessive physical activity can aggravate the condition.
• 2 Foot massage, as well as various physiotherapeutic procedures: mud applications, magnetic therapy, lymphopress and others.
• 3 Cold and hot shower on the area of ​​the calves and legs, provided that there are no contraindications, as well as various rubbing.
• 4 Try to fall asleep in a position that is unusual for you.
• 5 Proper nutrition. You shouldn't overeat at night, it's not just dangerous extra pounds, but can also cause insomnia and unnecessary activity in the legs. If you have restless legs syndrome, you should avoid alcohol, cigarettes, as well as drinks and foods containing caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate). They stimulate the nervous system and can intensify the symptoms of the disease.

Active lifestyle, healthy diet nutrition, good rest- this comprehensive wellness approach to healing, as practice shows, is the most effective way to get rid of many diseases (including restless leg syndrome).

There is no way to prevent restless legs syndrome. But a healthy lifestyle, which is perhaps the simplest and most effective way avoid many diseases.

In medicine, the condition when legs or arms shake is called tremor - an unconscious rhythmic movement of the limbs that occurs frequently and with different intensity. Anyone can experience this phenomenon, regardless of age and gender. What is tremor? It can be observed during intense anxiety, fear, or after performing forceful exercise. In neurology, this condition is not considered abnormal, since it goes away after the cause that caused it is eliminated, that is, it is short-term in nature. But sometimes this phenomenon can occur when serious pathologies.

Characteristics and description of the problem

Intention tremor - a condition in which a disorder of the motor skills of the limbs occurs, which is manifested in their trembling from three to five Hertz. In this case, trembling occurs only during movement, it is not present at rest, often this condition is accompanied by hypotension and increased fatigue.

Causes of tremor of the lower extremities

There is a physiological intention tremor of the legs, in which trembling occurs constantly, but it is weakly expressed, so it can only be detected under certain conditions. It does not indicate the presence of pathologies and diseases in the human body. Or trembling may develop with strong nervous overstrain when norepinephrine begins to be actively synthesized in the body.

In newborns, tremor occurs as a reaction to any stimulus, since they weak muscles legs If it does not go away within three months, this may indicate brain hypoxia. This condition is often observed in premature babies. During adolescence, tremor is associated with hormonal changes.

There is also congenital tremor (Minor syndrome), which is genetically determined. Pathology appears in at a young age, most often when excited, physical stress. Wherein sedatives and alcohol reduce their amplitude and frequency of manifestations.

Leg tremors may also occur when chronic alcoholism. This is due to the fact that acetaldehyde provokes oxidation of brain cells, as a result of which they atrophy. Most amenable negative influence neurons of the hypothalamus, thalamus and midbrain, cerebellum, which are involved in the regulation of muscle tone and human movements.

It is not uncommon for legs to shake due to the use of certain medications. This is especially true when taking antipsychotics and corticosteroids. With this phenomenon, the human intellect does not suffer.

The causes of pathological tremor include:

• Parkinson's, Konovalov-Wilson syndrome;
• pathology endocrine system;
• liver and kidney failure;
• intoxication with chemicals, salts of heavy metals;
• medication overdose;
• hereditary predisposition;
• TBI, brain tumors.

Encephalopathy

One of the main causes of stroke, TBI, brain tumors and multiple sclerosis is the development of encephalopathy. This is associated with cerebrovascular accident, hypotension, and atherosclerosis. Often, circulatory disorders become the cause of the appearance after forty-five years of chronic discirculatory encephalopathy or cerebral ischemia. Such diseases negatively affect the blood vessels of the brain and metabolic processes in the cells of its tissues, and contribute to the disruption of many functions of the organ, including the cerebellum. This leads to a person’s legs shaking, dizziness, and imbalance.

Hormonal system

Diseases of the endocrine system, in particular diabetes mellitus and hyperthyroidism, lead to tremors of the limbs. In hyperthyroidism, movement disorder is associated with impaired metabolic processes, during which the production of adrenaline, norepinephrine and dopamine, which ensure the transmission of signals to the central nervous system, decreases.

Insufficient leads to metabolic disorders, diabetic neuropathy develops, which often involves motor nerve fibers.

Also, trembling of both limbs may indicate the presence of Parkinson's syndrome, which develops as a result of death nerve cells which synthesize dopamine. A deficiency of this hormone leads to disruption of the pathways that provide motor activity.

Atactic tremor

Trembling often lower limbs occurs when cerebellar ataxia, which develops against the background of multiple sclerosis. It is the cerebellum that is responsible for a person’s ability to perform precise movements and provides muscle tone. With ataxia and degenerative processes in the cerebellum, a disorder occurs feedback with the cerebral cortex, which leads to a disorder of movements.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS)

This pathology is observed at the time when a person goes to bed. He develops tremors of the lower extremities, colic and a feeling of restlessness, so sleep is often disturbed.

RLS is a neurological disease that manifests itself in leg paresis and hyperactivity at rest or sleep. Symptoms begin to develop fifteen minutes after the person goes to bed. It manifests itself in the form of burning, tingling, trembling, and movement of the legs. This pathology is diagnosed in 10% of people worldwide. For some, the syndrome occurs once every seven days, for others - twice a week. Doctors link the disease to malfunction some parts of the brain. This condition also develops when there is a lack of iron in the body and renal failure.

Symptoms and signs of pathology

Having considered what tremor is, it is necessary to study the symptoms that may accompany it. At diabetes mellitus, when the concentration of sugar in the blood drops, not only the lower ones tremble, but also upper limbs, weakness and sweating appear. When eating sweets, the trembling goes away.

With alcoholism, tremors occur, which intensifies when trying to strain the leg muscles. At rest, this phenomenon is not observed. The same symptoms are inherent in intoxication with mercury vapor.

With Parkinson's disease, the legs and arms shake at rest, but when a person performs any actions, the trembling is not so noticeable or stops altogether. The disease is also accompanied by hypokinesia, stiffness, and numbness. When walking, a person places his feet parallel to each other, he moves in small steps, while shuffling his feet, his torso is tilted forward.

Diagnostic measures

Such a phenomenon as tremor can be observed in people of different ages and gender. If symptoms occur, you should consult a neurologist. He will first study the history of the disease, conduct an examination, during which he will evaluate motor activity, muscle condition and tone, reflexes, possible deviations during reflex movements, as well as possible absence reflexes.

If a person has Parkinson's disease, then the above measures will be quite sufficient. In other cases, it is possible to carry out additional examination to identify the causes of pathology. Used in medicine:

1. Electrocardiogram.
2. Electroencephalogram.
3. MRI and CT of the brain.
4. Ultrasound angiography.
5. Lab tests blood and urine.
6. Study of thyroid hormones.
7. Ultrasound of the thyroid gland.

Based on the examination results, the cause of the disease is determined and appropriate treatment is prescribed. In this case, your doctor will tell you in detail what to do if your legs are shaking.

Therapy

Treatment for tremor will depend on the causes of its development. For one-time manifestations of pathology, medications are not prescribed. In this case, it is recommended to eliminate the consumption of coffee and strong black tea, alcoholic beverages and drugs, reduce physical activity, rest, avoid stressful situations And emotional stress.

If the legs shake when a person stands, and this happens due to strong feelings or stress, then the doctor prescribes sedatives. For the treatment of newborns, medications are prescribed that help improve the supply of oxygen to the blood and tissues of the body.

Parkinson's syndrome, thyroid gland, sclerosis require long-term therapy. The doctor may prescribe the following medications: Clonazepam, Xanax or Primidone. Self-medication in in this case unacceptable, only a doctor can select the correct dosage of medications and determine the duration of therapy.

It is also important to normalize blood pressure with the help of antihypertensive and antiarrhythmic drugs. Normalize cerebral circulation The drug “Ginkgo Biloba” will help, it is an antioxidant, increases vascular tone, improves blood flow, and the synthesis of neurotransmitters. Because this drug plant origin, it must be taken for at least three months. Also in this case, Piracetam, Pyroxil, and Phenibut can help. Treatment with such drugs should be carried out for one and a half months.

If the thyroid gland malfunctions, the endocrinologist develops appropriate treatment. IN severe cases held surgical removal glands.

At congenital disease Minor treatment is usually not expected. Sometimes doctors may prescribe vitamin B6 as intramuscular injections for one month. The course of such therapy should be carried out twice a year.

Symptomatic treatment

To eliminate unpleasant symptoms, medications from the beta blocker group are used in medicine. They are also used in the treatment of hypertension, arrhythmia and heart attack. These drugs block the connection of adrenaline with other hormones and reduce the reaction to stress. The drug commonly used is Propranolol. Anticonvulsant medications may also be prescribed. But such medications cannot be taken while pregnant and breastfeeding. In addition, there are some contraindications. Therefore, only a doctor can prescribe the appropriate drug.

Medicines can be supplemented with drugs alternative medicine. Your doctor may recommend taking sedatives herbal teas, valerian or motherwort. Ginseng tincture has proven itself well. It is recommended to use twenty drops three times a day, this will help reduce the manifestation of pathology. All means traditional medicine to be used must be approved by a specialist.

Therapy for Parkinson's syndrome

For this disease, it is carried out symptomatic treatment with the use of many drugs. The main one is Levodopa, it is able to eliminate tremors of the limbs. You need to take half a tablet per day or every other day. This product has side effects.

The drug Pramipexole is also effective; it stimulates dopamine receptors. One tablet is prescribed once a day. The doctor may increase the dosage once every seven days. But this drug has many adverse reactions, including the appearance of suicidal thoughts. Therefore, treatment should be carried out under supervision.

Virtually none side effects means "Cyclodol". It eliminates trembling in the legs and is used not only in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, but also other pathologies. The drug is not prescribed for hypertension.

Forecast

The prognosis for this condition, when legs are shaking, is good. With help drug therapy manages to get rid of trembling in the legs. But it is often not possible to eliminate the cause of this condition, so some people take pills all their lives.

Prevention

With Parkinson's syndrome, multiple sclerosis preventive actions useless. But some doctors say that caffeine can reduce the occurrence of tremors.

For tremors due to alcohol, stress, physical activity prevention is quite possible. It consists of rest, healthy image life, avoiding emotional stress, moderate physical activity.

Diseases of the endocrine system must be treated promptly so that limb tremors do not develop. In this case, drugs should only be prescribed by a doctor; self-medication is unacceptable. It is important to eat properly so that the body receives a sufficient amount of all necessary elements and vitamins.