Medical devices for restless legs syndrome – clinical utility of the Relaxis pad

Abstract

Restless Legs Syndrome or Willis–Ekbom Disease, a neurosensory disorder, can be treated with pharmaceuticals or conservatively. This review focuses on conservative treatments, more specifically on treatments with medical devices. Two modes of action, enhancement of circulation and counter stimulation, are introduced. Medical devices that use enhancement of circulation as their mechanism of action are whole body vibration, pneumatic compression, and near-infrared light. Medical devices that use counter stimulation include transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and the vibration Relaxis pad. The clinical utility of the Relaxis pad and its place in therapy is proposed.

Keywords:

• whole body vibration
• pneumatic compression
• near-infrared light
• conservative treatment
• RLS/WED

Disclosure

Ulrike H Mitchell has a pending patent for the use of near infrared light as treatment for RLS. The author reports no other conflicts of interest in this work.