Usefulness of electronic stimulation in restless legs syndrome: a pilot study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effect of electronic stimulation (ES) as a non-pharmacological treatment in restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Methods: This is a randomized, single-blind study. A total of 46 patients were included, consisting of an active group and a sham group with 22 and 24 members, respectively. The stimulation was administered to bilateral lower legs using the tapping mode (3 Hz) on a handheld ES device, and symptom changes were measured in both groups. The effects of the stimuli were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA.

Results: The symptom severity was significantly reduced in the active group, and showed significant interaction effects in the time * group (F = 4.441, p = 0.031). Although both the active and sham groups reported improved symptoms upon receiving longer periods of treatment, the effect of the ES was greater in the active group.

Conclusions: ES treatment resulted in symptom improvement when using ideal levels of stimulation intensity. ES can be considered as a non-pharmacological treatment option for RLS.