Periodic limb movement disorder
sleep disorder that involves involuntary limb movement during sleep
Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) is a sleep disorder where the patient moves limbs involuntarily and periodically during sleep, and has symptoms or problems related to the movement. PLMD should not be confused with restless legs syndrome (RLS), which is characterized by a voluntary response to an urge to move legs due to discomfort. PLMD, on the other hand, is involuntary, and the patient is often unaware of these movements altogether. Periodic limb movements (PLMs) occurring during the daytime period can be found but are considered a symptom of RLS; only PLMs during sleep can suggest a diagnosis of PLMD.
Periodic limb movement disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of frequent limb movements while sleeping. It mostly occurs in the lower body, such as the toes, ankles, knees, and hips. It can also appear in the upper extremities in some cases. These movements can lead the patient to wake up, and if so, sleep interruption can be the origin of excessive daytime sleepiness.
PLMD is characterized by increased periodic limb movements during sleep, which must coexist with a sleep disturbance or other functional impairment, in an explicit cause-effect relationship. Usually, these involuntary movements come from lower extremities (including toes, ankles, knees, and hips), although they can also be observed in upper extremities, occasionally. PLMs seem to be common features within many people, and identifying whether or not these movements are clinically relevant for a distinct diagnosis of PLMD remains a challenge for clinical and scientific fields.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Periodic limb movement disorder” is sleep disorder that involves involuntary limb movement during sleep. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Periodic, limb and movement, not as a finished interpretation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Periodic limb movement disorder” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.