It was of those immortal Kramer lines on the Jerry Seinfeld show that sticks in your memory because it was so random. Kramer told Seinfeld he had the “Restless Leg Syndrome,” and in the process of explaining what that was, Kramer started rapidly shaking his right leg. Most viewers probably didn’t know what Kramer picked a disorder that most people don’t recognize unless they have that body consciousness glitch. Or they had lunch across from a guy who constantly shook one leg or the other while he ate.
Everybody has the urge to shake a leg while they are waiting for a Play to begin, or they’re waiting for a lost Uber driver to find his way. But the people who suffer from this disorder think they have a good reason to go into immediate shakiness mode when they sit down. The real shaky leg people feel pain or some other type of discomfort, so their brain tells their leg to shake to alleviate those painful thoughts.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, at least seven percent and maybe eight percent of adults in the United States has Restless Leg Syndrome. More women get RLS than men, and older folks tend to pick up the shaky habit as they experience more body pains. There’s no test to prove your shaky leg qualifies to be in the RLS category. But doctors can identify the disorder once the people who have it answer a few questions.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s doctor Suzanne Bertisch believes people who have Restless Leg Syndrome might need to check their iron levels. Dr. Bertisch specializes in sleep disorders. Many shaky leg syndrome sufferers experience RLS at night. Bertisch treats chronic RLS sufferers, and people who want to learn how to sleep better. RLS symptoms might develop when people need more sleep. Stress also plays a role in the disorder. Not enough quality sleep and holiday shopping stress are strange bedfellows But when the political tomfoolery, social media issues, and all the Trump escapades get in bed with the lack of sleep and stress could make this Christmas season one of the Shakiest leg holidays on record.
