New device reduces RLS complaints in 70% of test participants

September 23 is RLS awareness day. An international group of doctors and researchers has been calling attention to the disorder RLS for years on this day. And that is necessary. Restless legs syndrome is still relatively unknown to physicians. Diagnoses are often made late, medicines do not work in many cases. A home-grown start-up wants to change this. A doctor, who himself suffers from restless legs, developed a device that works at the moment, together with an aerospace engineer. After a test and certification process, they now want to conquer the market with it.

One in twenty people suffer from it: an unpleasant tingling, itching and/or burning sensation in the legs. It mainly occurs at rest: in bed, but also when sitting still for a long time. People have to move their legs to get rid of that restless feeling. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) can have a significant impact on a person’s daily life: permanently poor sleep, not being able to travel by train or plane, not being able to go to a show… In thirty percent of patients (1.6 percent of the total population) Are the complaints so serious that they are being treated by a doctor?

Too little knowledge
For physicians, the condition is still partly unexplored territory. The cause cannot be solved yet. The symptoms can be partially suppressed with medication, although the complaints often worsen over the years. The problem is that there are still too few experts in relation to the number of cases of illness; there is a lack of knowledge about the diagnosis and therapy of the disease in many professional groups: from general practitioners, physiotherapists to neurologists. As a result, it takes a long time for many patients to make the correct diagnosis. Little is known about RLS among the general public and policymakers either. Untreated RLS is therefore one of the most expensive neurological disorders, according to research by the European Brain Council in collaboration with the London School of Economics: the costs at European level amount to 34 billion euros per year. That is more than, for example, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy combined. After dementia, RLS is the most expensive disease in neurology. In the meantime, more and more scientific research is being done into the causes, but the last word has not yet been said about it. An international group of researchers, patients, doctors and scientists has therefore been calling attention to the disease on September 23 on RLS-awareness day for years.

Contrastimulatie
Casper van Waveren Hogervorst, a doctor who has suffered from RLS since childhood, decided three years ago to look for a solution. Together with aerospace engineer Erik van der Heide, he developed a device, Relegs®. It works on the basic principle of counterstimulation, the process by which harmless electrical stimuli stimulate the nerves. The device consists of an electrical stimulator, an electrical patch and a charger. It is operated by tapping it and can be worn unobtrusively under clothing. Van Waveren: “It works great for me. I no longer have to get out of bed at night when I suffer from restless legs. And I now go to the movies with my kids without worrying about having to leave the theater halfway through the movie. It is wonderful that I can now also help other people with their complaints through Relegs.”

Helped more than 200 people
After a test period and certification process, Van Waveren and Van der Heide have now prepared the product for the market. In accordance with the Medical Devices Act, Relegs® is classified and certified as a class IIa medical device. It is suitable for anyone who suffers from restless legs and can be easily combined with all medicines available against RLS, such as ropinirole or pramipexole. It is not intended to replace medicines, but can be a good complementary treatment. It is also possible with the device to reduce the total amount of medication. The results from the test phase are promising. One of the first users is Mr Marc van Eesbeek (71 years old): “I’ve had restless legs for as long as I can remember. RLS gave me a very unpleasant feeling day after day; like ants crawling through your lower legs. Now I sleep longer and use less medication.” Casper van Waveren: “We have now helped 233 people. In seventy percent of the people who have used the device, it provides a significant reduction in their complaints. Compared to medicines, that’s a lot: research shows that they are only effective in sixty percent of the cases. Relegs also helps users to better deal with their complaints. No side effects have been reported and the device is safe to use in bed. We now want to put it on the market. First in the Netherlands, in 2022 to Germany, then the rest of Europe.”

More information can be found at https://www.relegs.com.