Restless Leg Syndrome

[AdamA]

MT,

My first thought is a lack of physical exercise, so the jogging may help.  Also yoga may help get the energy flowing properly.

My second thought is a complication from medication you may be taking.

However, it sounds more likely that your subconscious is trying to get your attention.  It may have something to do with the so called "mid-life crisis".  Based on my limited understanding of Jungian analysis, this usually involves the need to withdraw from the outside world and then enter the inner world.  Jungian analysis also involves recording your dreams and attempting to read the symbolism present in them, which may lead to answers.  Personally, it all sounds a little "horoscopey" to me, but there may be something to it.

I don't know MT personally, but based on his writings here, he doesn't really strike me as the midlife crisis type. 

[MediumTex]

MT,

My first thought is a lack of physical exercise, so the jogging may help.  Also yoga may help get the energy flowing properly.

My second thought is a complication from medication you may be taking.

However, it sounds more likely that your subconscious is trying to get your attention.  It may have something to do with the so called "mid-life crisis".  Based on my limited understanding of Jungian analysis, this usually involves the need to withdraw from the outside world and then enter the inner world.  Jungian analysis also involves recording your dreams and attempting to read the symbolism present in them, which may lead to answers.  Personally, it all sounds a little "horoscopey" to me, but there may be something to it.

I don't know MT personally, but based on his writings here, he doesn't really strike me as the midlife crisis type. 

You might say I've been having a midlife crisis since I was about 12 years old.

[Reub]

M.T. you might want to find a little time for resistance training about twice a week as well. Light weights and about 30 minutes might help a lot.

[Gosso]

I don't know MT personally, but based on his writings here, he doesn't really strike me as the midlife crisis type. 

I agree, MT seems like a very well rounded individual.  All I meant by the "midlife" comment was that we should not underestimate the power of the human psyche and the impact it can have on our health and well being.  Just because we cannot see it or stick a needle in it doesn't mean it cannot have a large influence on our life.

You might say I've been having a midlife crisis since I was about 12 years old.

I second that, except mine started at 18.  I find whiskey helps

[Gumby]

Often oral magnesium isn't well absorbed. It's worth trying transdermal Magnesium Oil to target the pain (you can buy it at Whole Foods or Amazon). However, it makes some people a little drowsy. The trick with Magnesium oil is to administer it at the right time of day for your own body. If it makes you sleepy, spray it on you in the evenings. Rarely, some people experience a paradoxical effect, and it keeps them up at night. If it keeps you up at night, spray it on in the morning. Start with only two sprays in the beginning and work your way up to 18 or so sprays over your entire body for a full RDA dosage of Magnesium (as needed). The dosage effect from transdermal magnesium oil is similar to bathing in a hot spring. It tends to have a muscle-relaxing effect.

What's a good source to buy from?

The "Ancient Minerals" brand ($23 /8oz at Amazon) is considered to be the most pure. I'm currently using the Life-Flo brand ($11/ 8oz at Whole Foods), but I plan to buy the more expensive Ancient Minerals brand next to see if I notice a difference. My guess is that most brands are very good and pretty much the same thing. So, I probably won't notice a difference. I suppose the cheaper oil may have some impurities, so it might be worth getting the Ancient Minerals if you worry about purity. Swanson's makes it too, and it's probably just as effective, but no idea about the purity. Do your own research to be sure. I'll try to see if I can find some info on that.

Pure magnesium is extracted from the Zechstein Seabed — it's considered to be the purest source of Magnesium on the planet. The Zechstein Sea was an ancient inland sea that is currently buried thousands of feet under Northern Europe. Imagine the Dead Sea having dried up and buried under thousands of feet of Earth, and you have the Zechstein Seabed. There is enough pure Magnesium in that ancient seabed to last humanity for a few hundred years.

Supposedly, the Ancient Minerals brand is the only company that is allowed to extract Magnesium from the Zechstein Seabed. However, every major brand claims that their Magnesium comes from the Zechstein Seabed, so I have no idea who is right and who is wrong or if it matters.

The authoritarian on transdermal Magnesium is Dr. Marc Sircus, Ac., OMD. He wrote the book on it:

See: Transdermal Magnesium Therapy: A New Modality for the Maintenance of Health, by Dr. Marc Sircus, Ac., OMD

And his website... http://magnesiumforlife.com/

[Benko]

2. Begin the following supplement regimen: L-Tyrosine, Rhodiola Rosea, and Yohimbe.  Adjust dosage as needed.  All three of these items are believed to help increase dopamine levels.

MT,

1. Tyrosine and Rhodiola will not hurt you and may have beneficial effects on you in general (I used to sometimes take a mental alertness drink that contained tyrosine).  Yohimbe on the other hand being conservative, my advice is to avoid the stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohimbine
The therapeutic index of yohimbine is quite low; the range between an effective dose and a dangerous dose is very narrow.[21] A typical dose for sexual dysfunction would be 15-30mg, whereas 100mg would be considered dangerous...Higher doses of oral yohimbine may create numerous side effects, such as rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, overstimulation, insomnia and/or sleeplessness.

2. Drugs given to patients with parkinsons that elevate dopamine are also known to worsen impulse control:

"There is a strong association between dopamine agonist therapy and ICDs. Some people using these may find it hard to control impulses like gambling, sex, spending, and eating"

I don't think this would be relevant taking modest doses of tyrosine and Rhodiola, but just wanted you to be aware of possible side effects.

[dualstow]

Are you still lifting that heavy vacuum or carpet cleaner around?

[MediumTex]

Are you still lifting that heavy vacuum or carpet cleaner around?

Yes.

I'm thinking about running a sale to get a little more lifting into my regimen.

[MachineGhost]

The work I do (trying to keep the government from confiscating too much of my clients' property) isn't inconsistent with my political beliefs.  It's just tedious and boring at times (like many things in life can be).

But isn't all legal-government-bureaucratic work tedious and boring?  Isn't that part of its nature, the make-work of superfluous paper pushing to keep everyone too busy, tired or in pain to protest, vote or insurrect?  Surely, you must realize that society and yourself could be a lot more happy and productive without having to waste such limited resources on supporting the status quo?  I'm not suggesting you move to South America and run a little restaurant on the beach, but there has to be a happy middle ground between dealing with the soul-sucking tendrils of the state and the irrelevance of an anti-intellectual hobby business.

I know most of us seem like "anti-government porners" on here because pointing out and discussing the flaws of the existing system is sooo visible and easy, but I suspect it's really more of a half-glass full type fundamental at our core.  If there is a lack of optimism due to your job and the continual reinforcing of negative aspects of current reality, it's time for a change.  I think anyone would get weighed down eventually.

For a little perspective, I've had a chronic muscle spasm in my head, neck, upper back and shoulders and TMJ since 1997 or so.  No amount of drugs, therapy or ergonomic corrections have been successful at resolving it.  It seems clear to me that it is a work-lifestyle issue but not one I've got the luxury to easily change.

I'm not all that familiar with normalizing dopamine, but the usual way to deal with neurochemical imbalances is with amino acids.  Adaptogens or sexual aids may be secondary.

[MediumTex]

I know most of us seem like "anti-government porners" on here because pointing out and discussing the flaws of the existing system is sooo visible and easy, but I suspect it's really more of a half-glass full type fundamental at our core.  If there is a lack of optimism due to your job and the continual reinforcing of negative aspects of current reality, it's time for a change.  I think anyone would get weighed down eventually.

I may have made it sound worse than it is.  I don't think I would find different work more pleasant.  I think that some part of my processor just malfunctions in certain settings.  I really think it's a problem with response, not stimulus.

For a little perspective, I've had a chronic muscle spasm in my head, neck, upper back and shoulders and TMJ since 1997 or so.  No amount of drugs, therapy or ergonomic corrections have been successful at resolving it.  It seems clear to me that it is a work-lifestyle issue but not one I've got the luxury to easily change.

It sounds like you're in the same boat as me, except your situation is in the upper body.

I'm not all that familiar with normalizing dopamine, but the usual way to deal with neurochemical imbalances is with amino acids.   Adaptogens or sexual aids may be secondary.

Both Rhodiolia and Yohimbe are interesting substances.  There is a lot of good information out there about Rhodiola.  Yohimbe is mainly known as "boner fuel", but it actually has a lot of other applications, including enhancing dopamine levels.

[MachineGhost]

Parlodel contains the active ingredient bromocriptine mesilate, which is a dopamine agonist. It works by stimulating the dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is known to be reduced or completely absent in those suffering from Parkinson’s and is thought to be the main cause of the symptoms. By stimulating the receptors in the brain, the symptoms can be reduced. Dopamine levels when you reach 40 years old reduce steadily by as much as 13% per decade, leading some neurologists to say we will all eventually become senile, Parlodel can help stave this off.

http://www.antiaging-systems.com/143-br ... e-parlodel

...

You can check to see if your back might be misaligned by using a finger to press firmly on each of the vertebral spines -- the row of bony bumps down the middle of your back. If one or more of them hurt when you press them, you should make an appointment with a chiropractor to correct the misalignment.

[MediumTex]

Parlodel contains the active ingredient bromocriptine mesilate, which is a dopamine agonist. It works by stimulating the dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is known to be reduced or completely absent in those suffering from Parkinson’s and is thought to be the main cause of the symptoms. By stimulating the receptors in the brain, the symptoms can be reduced. Dopamine levels when you reach 40 years old reduce steadily by as much as 13% per decade, leading some neurologists to say we will all eventually become senile, Parlodel can help stave this off.

http://www.antiaging-systems.com/143-br ... e-parlodel

Thanks for that information.

You can check to see if your back might be misaligned by using a finger to press firmly on each of the vertebral spines -- the row of bony bumps down the middle of your back. If one or more of them hurt when you press them, you should make an appointment with a chiropractor to correct the misalignment.

I have scoliosis, so that sort of thing wouldn't be helpful to me.

I just pretend I am a snake and try to stay as limber as I can.

[Lone Wolf]

You have gotten a lot of great advice and info here.  (Gotta love this place.)

My first thought when reading this was that perhaps this was down to some form of sciatica.  It's very interesting that this only happens to you at the office.

Do you ever have the occasion to work from home?  This would be a day where you spend the entire day sitting and working from a home office or some other location, such as a library.  Do the symptoms occur then?

How quickly does the pain begin after you start working?  Are you perhaps much more active throughout the rest of your day and thus not exposed to the same sheer volume of sitting that you are at the office?

You mentioned some time ago at least a passing interest in strength training.  The reason I bring this up is that before I began strength training, I suffered from lower back pain at an astonishingly young age.  (The dawn of my 20s.)  This pain corrected itself once I got serious about bringing up my deadlift many years back.  The lower back irritation turned out to be the result of a muscular imbalance -- in essence, just a very weak posterior chain in comparison to anterior muscles such as quadriceps.  Once my deadlift (and overall level of whole-body strength) came up, the lower back pain never returned, ever.  Just gone.

I found it interesting that a simple muscular imbalance could cause such hassle.  Just one more thing to keep in mind, particularly if you still have an interest in barbell strength work in the spirit of Starting Strength.

I have scoliosis, so that sort of thing wouldn't be helpful to me.

Ah, I didn't realize that you had scoliosis.  Obviously, you'd want to take that into account when selecting an exercise program.  For inspiration, though, consider Lamar Gant, (a powerlifter with quite severe scoliosis) who deadlifted 688 pounds at 132 pounds of bodyweight.  Beastly!

[Gumby]

By the way... If oral magnesium supplementation hasn't helped anyone in the past, there's a good reason for it. Here is a passage from The Magnesium Miracle, by Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. explaining why many people are unable to absorb the magnesium their body needs from oral supplements (and why magnesium oil is often better):

When you look at the amount of elemental magnesium in various supplements, you see that magnesium oxide seems to have a higher amount of available magnesium; however, recent studies have shown that only about 4 percent of that amount is absorbed. We are told that 50 percent of magnesium in foods and water is absorbed. All other supplements range somewhere in between.

Chelated magnesium, bound to organic amino acids, is far better absorbed than magnesium oxide but is more expensive. Complementary medicine practitioners rely on chelated magnesium, such as magnesium glycerinate, taurate, and orotate, to treat serious cases of magnesium deficiency. Dr. Russell Blaylock warns that magnesium aspartate may offer the body too much aspartic acid, an amino acid that causes brain stimulation; he recommends avoidance.

Weight for weight and dollar for dollar, magnesium citrate may be the best buy for general use. It is probably the most widely used magnesium supplement because it's inexpensive, easily absorbed, and only has a mild laxative effect. The best form is a magnesium citrate powder mixed in water that can be taken every day. However, if you walk into your average pharmacy and ask for magnesium citrate, you will be directed, usually in a loud booming voice, to bowel-purging laxatives. I learned about citrate salts in medical school; in large amounts they are used to completely purge the bowel before bowel X-rays, barium enemas, sigmoidoscopies, or colonoscopies. For example, the total amount taken daily as a magnesium citrate supplement is about 900 mg. However 12,000 mg is the amount given for a bowel purge! If your pharmacist doesn't know the difference between a magnesium citrate supplement and a bowel-purging laxative, just go down the street and find a health food store, which is sure to have magnesium citrate in powder as well as capsules.

Magnesium taurate, glycinate, and orotate are amino acid chelates of magnesium that have less laxative effect on the intestines than magnesium citrate, so they are recommended if you tend to have loose stools. Magnesium taurate is a combination of the amino acid taurine and magnesium that has special properties for the heart. Taken together in this combination, magnesium and taurine have a synergistic effect, stabilizing cell membranes, making this form of magnesium high absorbed. Magnesium taurate doe not have a great laxative effect and is the recommended form of magnesium for people with heart problems...

Magnesium chloride is a form of magnesium that comes in capsules, powder, and IV solution. Some researchers say it may be the best form of magnesium for ingestion, because minerals need to be dissolved in acid before the can go into solution. Magnesium chloride has enough extra chloride to produce hydrochloric acid in the stomach to enhance its absorption…

Dr. José Luis Pérez Albela, director of the Instituto Bien de Salud in Lima, Peru, is an ardent proponent of magnesium and uses magnesium chloride exclusively. He spreads the word on his radio show, in public lectures, to his colleagues, and to his patients. He manufactures and distributes small one-dose packets of magnesium chloride, often giving them away to needy people. To overcome the bitter taste, he tells people to stir the powered in citrus juice. Or you can put a drop of lemon or orange essential oil in a glass of water and stir in the powder. Success stories with magnesium from Dr. Albela's patients and friends could fill a book. Magnesium chloride is the form of magnesium used to make magnesium oil…

Magnesium oxide appears to have a high amount of elemental magnesium. One 500-mg capsule of magnesium oxide contains 300 mg of elemental magnesium. But little of that amount is available to the body because it is not absorbed and therefore no biologically available. One recent study reported a 4 percent absorption rate of magnesium oxide. This means 12 mg of a 500 mg capsule are absorbed and 299 mg stay in the intestines, acting like a laxative…

There are several ways to enhance absorption besides choosing an absorbable product. If you have digestive problems with symptoms of gas and bloating, which indicates a lack of hydrochloric acid, you may need to take a digestive aid such as betaine hydrochloride to help absorb your minerals. Magnesium can be taken with or without meals, but it's preferable to take it between meals for better absorption. Magnesium requires stomach acid to be absorbed. After a full meal, your stomach acid is busy digesting food and may not be available to help absorb the magnesium. Also, magnesium is an alkaline mineral and acts like an antacid; taken with meals, it may neutralize stomach acid and impair digestion.

If you develop loose stools while taking magnesium, it does not mean you are absorbing enough and losing the rest; it may mean you are taking too much at one time. Never take your daily magnesium all at once. Spread it out throughout the day; four times a day is best if you're experiencing diarrhea. If that doesn't do the trick, you probably need to cut back the amount you're taking or switch to another type or brand of magnesium. Taking magnesium oil for at least half your daily supplement will often banish loose stools...

A very exciting addition to the magnesium family is a product loosely referred to as magnesium oil. It's not actually an oil at all, but a supersaturated solution of magnesium chloride in water. Magnesium oil can be sprayed or rubbed on the body and is readily absorbed through the skin. It helps greatly to increase the amount of magnesium in the body tissues and overcomes the problems that some people have with loose stools when they try to take enough magnesium to meet their needs. This can be especially important in cases of sever magnesium deficiency that were treatable only with IV magnesium before magnesium oil came along.

Normal Shealy, M.D., Ph.D., neurosurgeon and pain management expert, confirms that sufficient magnesium is notoriously difficult to absorb orally when it acts like a laxative. He says that if magnesium goes through the intestines in less than twelve hours, absorption of the mineral is seriously impaired. It's excreted faster than it can be absorbed. Dr. Shealy is also convinced that even the best oral preparation, which he considers to be magnesium taurate, requires oral supplementation for six to twelve months to restore intracellular levels. But he finds that skin application of magnesium oil with a concentration of 25 percent magnesium chloride restores intracellular levels within four to six weeks. Dr. Shealy has produced a small study to support his findings.

According to Mark Sircus, O.M.D., who writes about magnesium oil in Transdermal Magnesium Therapy (Phaelos Books, 2006), the amount of magnesium in one spray of a 25 or 35 percent solution of magnesium chloride is between 13 and 18 mg. Therefore, if you pump about 6 sprays for each leg and arm, you are applying 400 mg of magnesium — the RDA. Another 6 sprays to your front and 6 to you back and you have a 600 mg dosage.

Source: The Magnesium Miracle, by Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., p. 241

Magnesium oil is the easiest and cheapest solution for pains and muscle spasms before exploring more extreme options.

[MediumTex]

Lone Wolf,

Usain Bolt has scoliosis as well.

It doesn't seem to have slowed him down too much.

[MachineGhost]

Normal Shealy, M.D., Ph.D., neurosurgeon and pain management expert, confirms that sufficient magnesium is notoriously difficult to absorb orally when it acts like a laxative. He says that if magnesium goes through the intestines in less than twelve hours, absorption of the mineral is seriously impaired. It's excreted faster than it can be absorbed. Dr. Shealy is also convinced that even the best oral preparation, which he considers to be magnesium taurate, requires oral supplementation for six to twelve months to restore intracellular levels. But he finds that skin application of magnesium oil with a concentration of 25 percent magnesium chloride restores intracellular levels within four to six weeks. Dr. Shealy has produced a small study to support his findings.

Magnesium has been one of those pain in the ass supplements for me.  Oxides and citrates cause diarrehea way too easily which means they are being poorly absorbed.  I've taken 3 big tablets (750gm) a day of PhytAvail multi-chelated magnesium for several months and didn't really notice anything.  I've tried 3 big tablets (RDA) of Magnesium Malate but the malic acid gave me insomina.  So for a few years I settled on 3 capsules (RDA) of pricey ZMA (Zinc-Magnesium-Aspartate) which is a scam formula cooked up by a weight lifting huckster for raising testosterone levels, but the better absorbed magnesium certainly had an anti-stress and minor muscle relaxant effect (most noticeable when running out).  Now I've whittled it down to 2 small tablets (RDA) of Magnesium Glycinate (which is a true Albion chelate). 

According to Mark Sircus, O.M.D., who writes about magnesium oil in Transdermal Magnesium Therapy (Phaelos Books, 2006), the amount of magnesium in one spray of a 25 or 35 percent solution of magnesium chloride is between 13 and 18 mg. Therefore, if you pump about 6 sprays for each leg and arm, you are applying 400 mg of magnesium — the RDA. Another 6 sprays to your front and 6 to you back and you have a 600 mg dosage.[/font][/size]

Magnesum oil sounds like a welcome relief from gobbling pills and to easily get large quantities -- it should ideally be taken 1:1 with calcium.  Not many sprays in a 8oz bottle, so looks pricey.  I definitely recommend taking magnesium at bedtime since it can be taken on an empty stomach and/or will help you relax to fall sleep.

[Gumby]

Magnesum oil sounds like a welcome relief from gobbling pills and to easily get large quantities -- it should ideally be taken 1:1 with calcium.  Not many sprays in a 8oz bottle, so looks pricey.

If you make your own magnesium oil, you can save a lot of money...

If you would like to save some money, you can make your own magnesium oil using magnesium chloride flakes. Here’s how to make your own magnesium oil.

A small bottle of Ancient Minerals magnesium oil costs $29 for 8 ounces. That’s $3.63 per ounce.

If you buy the big 64-ounce bottle, it costs only $1.86 per ounce.

A 1.65 pound (26.4 ounce) bag of magnesium flakes costs $9.75. That’s only .37 per ounce. If you use the flakes to make magnesium oil, it costs only $2.96 to make 16 ounces of magnesium oil, or 19 cents per ounce.

If you buy the bigger bag of magnesium flakes (32 pounds or 512 ounces at $150) the cost is only .29 per ounce. It costs only $2.32 to make 16 ounces of magnesium oil, or 15 cents per ounce.

Clearly you save a lot by making your own magnesium oil!

Source: http://www.cheeseslave.com/how-to-make-magnesium-oil/

So, just buy the Ancient Minerals pure magnesium flakes (Swanson's is probably just as good too) and follow this simple recipe...

It is critical that you use filtered or distilled water. Make sure your water filter filters out chlorine, fluoride and other toxic chemicals. You don’t want to absorb this stuff into your skin!

How to Make Magnesium Oil

INGREDIENTS

Magnesium chloride flakes (1 cup)
Water, filtered or distilled (1 cup)

EQUIPMENT

Enameled cast iron, stainless steel or glass saucepan (do not use aluminum)

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring the filtered water to a boil.
2. Add the magnesium flakes and stir until dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and let cool
4. After the mixture has cooled, transfer it to a spray bottle or a plastic travel bottle.

Source: http://www.cheeseslave.com/how-to-make-magnesium-oil/

It's as easy as making a pot of tea.

[Benko]

FYI: elevating dopamine can have adverse consequences. Specifically drugs which elevate dopamine e.g. parkinson's drugs can result in what is called "decreased impulse control" i.e. these people can be more prone to doing impulsive things e.g. sex, drugs, gambling, alcohol etc.

This is more of an issue with parlodel then e.g. tyrosine (I suspect).  In any case being aware of this issue in case it rears its head.

[Gosso]

MT,

I'm not sure if you buy into the Paleo/Primal/Ancestral philosophy, but here is an introduction to a proper posture and healthy spine as taught by Esther Gokhale (6:15):

http://tedx.stanford.edu/speakers/esther-gokhale/

She also gave a Google Authors talk (53:46):

http://youtu.be/-yYJ4hEYudE

Mark's Daily Apple had a short article on it:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/improve- ... z23ZaQPirf

I'm not sure if this will filter down to the legs, but whenever I remember to apply her techniques I always feel like this:

[MachineGhost]

It's as easy as making a pot of tea.

It's really more of a liquid than an emulsified oil as I was thinking.  But, what concentration will this homemade formula be and how much mg per spray will come out?

I made up a similar formula recently for a Xylitol nose spray which somehow I've overlooked in my journey to try everything under the known sun.  It was just too ridiculous how much retailers wanted for 2oz of what is just 1/2 cup xylitol, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 1 cup of filtered water!  Now I have more than I need.  I ought to go into the waste management business...

[Gumby]

But, what concentration will this homemade formula be and how much mg per spray will come out?

You can use the example and formula in the following link to figure out the amount of elemental magnesium in your solution using the weight of the pure magnesium chloride flakes...

http://www.zechstein-magnesium-oil.com/ ... tion-forms

And then, just use Wolfram Alpha to do your calculation, like this...

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=ho ... m+chloride

On their website, Ancient Minerals claims that 1 cup of their Zechstein magnesium chloride flakes contains 15g of elemental magnesium.

I can also tell you that magnesium oils in general are usually between 16mg and 18mg of magnesium per spray. The bottle I'm holding in my hand says "provides 66mg of elemental magnesium for every 4 sprays or 560mg per teaspoon." Keep in mind that these figures are singling out out the amount of elemental magnesium in the solution, not the amount of magnesium chloride.

In one of his videos, Dr. Mark Sircus claims that you can't spray on too much magnesium oil, since the skin will only absorb the amount it needs. For example, swimming in the ocean for awhile gives you a huge dose of transdermal magnesium, but you wouldn't overdose on magnesium by swimming in the ocean a lot.

[Kel]

MT - I am wondering if it could actually be your chair - is it possible that somehow the shape of the chair can compromise circulation in the legs in some way - I know you have a very good chair - I have a body built and am very happy with it but still thought I'd ask.

I for one have noticed some pains in my legs as I meditate and sit for long periods of time in one position (usually 1 hr or more) meditating. Legs ache and sometimes hurt.

Doc says that as you get older and plaque builds up and/or circulation diminishes  - you can have various symptoms including these kinds of aches and pains.

Look up PAD or peripheral artery disease which is the formal name for the previous sentence. Perhaps thats involved.

Interesting that it doesn't happen anywhere else - which is why I added the chair circulation comment above.

Also are you in the Austin area - there is a form of qi qong taught by Dr. Zhang (China Health Center) there which has a leg specific practice and builds qi and the opens meriden pathways in the legs as part of the practice - pretty amazing actually and may solve the issue (I think its taught in Dallas area as well) . I have taken many years of this type of qi qong and have amazing results - when taking their hand practice I had beginnings of carpo tunnel in hands and several weeks into the practice had it completely resolve as well as elimination of aches due to a long healed fractured finger.

You also break tiles and stuff with these practices too...kind of fun.

Anyway thought I'd add my two cents  - hope you figure it out.

Best,

Ed

[Reub]

Can you please show us a picture of the chair in question?

[MediumTex]

Can you please show us a picture of the chair in question?

This is the Steelcase Amia in different colors and from different angles.

Mine is black on black, because I'm low-key like that.

[Gumby]

MT, do you ever have minor circulation issues? Cold hands/fingers or cold feet?