Restless Legs Syndrome Criteria
Applies the five essential criteria for restless legs syndrome.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- An urge to move the legs, usually with an uncomfortable sensation in them
- Yes
- It begins or worsens during rest or inactivity
- Yes
- It is relieved by movement, for as long as the movement continues
- Yes
- It is worse in the evening or at night than during the day
- Yes
Result: not met
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What the result means
- All five met
- The criteria are met. All five are essential, so the diagnosis rests on the whole set rather than on a count.
- Four of five
- Not a partial diagnosis. A partial set does not establish anything, and the missing criterion is named.
- The fifth criterion
- Leg cramps, positional discomfort, muscle pain, venous stasis, swollen legs, arthritis and habitual foot tapping all satisfy the first four.
- The fourth criterion
- A comparison rather than an absolute: worse in the evening or night than during the day. Symptoms equally bad at every hour do not satisfy it.
- Clinically significant
- The symptoms cause distress or interfere with sleep or functioning. A specifier, not a criterion.
- Chronic-persistent
- On average at least twice a week over the past year. A specifier, not a criterion.
- Intermittent
- Less often than twice a week on average, with at least five events in a lifetime. A specifier, not a criterion.
What you enter
- An urge to move the legs, usually with an uncomfortable sensation in them
- It begins or worsens during rest or inactivity
- It is relieved by movement, for as long as the movement continues
- It is worse in the evening or at night than during the day
- It is not better accounted for by another condition such as leg cramps
- The symptoms cause distress or interfere with sleep or functioning
- On average at least twice a week over the past year
- Otherwise, at least five events in a lifetime
How this is calculated
Allen RP, Picchietti DL, Garcia-Borreguero D, et al. Restless legs syndrome / Willis-Ekbom disease diagnostic criteria: updated International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group consensus criteria. Sleep Med. 2014;15(8):860-873. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.