Can a nightly stretch calm restless legs?
NCT ID NCT07810127
First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers test whether a home-based myofascial self-stretching program can ease symptoms of restless legs syndrome, also called Willis-Ekbom disease, in adults with chronic RLS. Participants do a 10- to 20-minute stretching routine each evening for two weeks and record their symptoms daily. The trial compares this program with Buerger-Allen exercises and measures changes in symptom severity, daytime sleepiness, and quality of life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a home-based myofascial self-stretching exercise program
- What this could lead to
- If the stretching routine helps, it could offer adults with restless legs syndrome a low-cost, drug-free way to manage symptoms at home.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, short two-week study, so any symptom changes may be modest or fade once the routine stops. Exercise may not work for everyone, and stretching can cause temporary muscle soreness.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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27 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Finished
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Jul 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥18 years. * Resident in Spain, preferably in or near the Community of Madrid. * Clinical diagnosis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) according to the 2014 International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) diagnostic criteria, confirmed through clinical assessment by a neurologist. * Symptoms predominantly affecting the legs. * Under medical follow-up for at least 3 months before enrollment, regardless of current treatment or response to medication. * If receiving pharmacological treatment for RLS, treatment must have remained stable for at least 1 month before enrollment and must remain stable throughout the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Acute or chronic musculoskeletal conditions, such as symptomatic disc herniation, radiculopathy, severe tendinopathy, recent muscle injury, or advanced osteoarthritis, that limit or contraindicate prolonged stretching exercises. * Severe uncontrolled pain in the lumbar region, pelvis, or lower extremities that prevents completion of the stretching positions required by the protocol. * Initiation, concurrently with this study, of another non-pharmacological therapy for RLS, such as vibration or compression devices, yoga, or dietary supplements. * Epilepsy or any other concomitant neurological or neuromuscular disease affecting muscle tone, strength, or postural control that could interfere with the study. * Pharmacological treatment requiring frequent adjustments that would prevent treatment stability during the study. * Significant functional limitations, including balance problems, reduced mobility, inability to perform exercises on the floor, or inability to maintain prolonged positions, that prevent correct performance of the exercise protocol. * Insomnia unrelated to RLS. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Asociación Española de Piernas Inquietas (AESPI)
Madrid, Spain
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