Fibromyalgia- restless legs and an urge to bind my legs and feet

[Victoriawould24]

I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis and take Amytripyline at night to manage pain , but I still sometimes struggle to sleep or stay asleep due to pain in mostly my legs and feet.
I have a compulsion to wrap up my feet and legs (to the knees) tightly and sometimes o do using PJ bottoms and it really helps.
I know this sounds nuts but it’s like it compresses nerve pain ( I also imagine sticking my fingers into my legs to make them sting or pour vinegar in to get some relief from the sting but that really is probably just a me thing ).

I wondered if anyone else does this or if there is anything I can buy to help- have looked up tubular bandages/ socks.

I did mention to the GP who just looked blankly at me.

For background I lead an active life and try to exercise every day but the pain and feeling doesn’t coincide with days I’ve done more.

Can anyone relate or offer advice, I could also increase the amytripyline and paracetamol which I take to manage daytime pain but I don’t want to be any more fatigued than I already am.

High strength magnesium can help restless legs. It may be worth a try

Yes

i I have chronic pain after a major accident.

some sensations really help me block out the pain.

try compression socks

I use magnesium supplements (or gel rubbed directly onto your legs). Also sometimes wear compression socks designed for recovery after running.

I can relate to that, over 40 years of fibro so I've tried a lot of things to ease the pain. Lately I've been using a dog cooling mat which is on top of my bottom sheet and when my legs start twitching/paining I moved them on to the mat, the change in temperature seems to ease them. I remember being about 15 and lying on my back with my bum against the wall and my legs upright against the wall, I'd try imagine the pain draining out of them and it helped back them. Do what you need to do (as long as it's safe) to ease the pain. The meds you're on didn't work for me, I'm on opiates now which have given me the most relief I ever got from meds but not too many will prescribe them.

Thanks everyone will try the magnesium and @mudflapswow yes that’s totally me I have used the cooling mat for relief subconsciously when it’s out on hot days so I will absolutely bring it upstairs
I’m going to go back to the rheumatologist for a medication review, if you don’t keep asking nobody cares do they.

Would weighted blankets help? My DDs, both with different chronic pain condition's, one with fibro, use them and they can really help.

Try compression socks (need to be 20-30 mmhg) and leg ice packs. Massively helped my leg pain along with a good b vitamin complex and magnesium.

I saw something about this kn social media and some guy found out he could basically cure his restless legs by binding up his feet so that the edges were kind of squashed in to each other. He used a pair of long socks tied around each foot that squished the sides of his feet and it totally solved things for him. I guess you'd need to be careful not to cut off your circulation.

Another thing I've tried myself in the summer when my feet are hot and restless is to put on a pair of really wet socks and then put a dry pair over the top. Sounds weird but it has worked for me.

I had restless legs for years, and the solution for me (and also for my sister) was to take Valerian capsules before bed. Valerian is anti-spasmodic. Try to get a good quality brand if you can. Valerian tends to build up in your system over 2 or 3 days so you might not notice an improvement right away, but it's definitely worth a try for restless legs!

Btw DH also takes Valerian because he's a very light sleeper and it helps him get to sleep and stay asleep, but it doesn't have that effect on everyone.

Thanks for all the posts - I have started on a low dose of Duloxetine this weekend in the morning along with the Amytriptyline at night so am hoping that helps.
I will still do the binding of if I need to because it really works for me and I am reassured knowing it’s a thing and not just me going nuts.

I rub magnesium cream into my legs when they start up like yours

Another vote here for Valerian pills. Knocks me out at night and helps with the discomfort too I find.

Don’t know if you’ve had your iron levels checked but I had restless legs and leg pain at night and with ferrous fumerate supplements prescribed by GP (but bought OTC because it’s cheaper) and magnesium glycinate from nutrition geeks it’s much better