The role of the saphenous nerve in insomnia: a proposed etiology of restless legs syndrome

Abstract

Entrapment of the saphenous nerve after emergence from its lumbar roots and before its distribution to the medial surface of the leg is suggested as a cause of Restless Legs Syndrome (other anomalies of the saphenous nerve, especially those where the nerve is part of a general neuropathy, are not considered here). This finding is supported by evidence which: 1) identifies Restless Legs Syndrome as a nerve entrapment syndrome from: the dysesthesia in Meralgia Paresthetica, the paraesthesiae of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and the poorly localized pain in pronator syndrome and suprascapular nerve entrapment; 2) isolates the saphenous nerve as the entrapped nerve from the patient's difficulty in identifying the precise area of sensation in saphenous nerve entrapment at Hunter's Canal; 3) localizes the pelvic region as the site of entrapment from rates of Restless Legs Syndrome of 11 and 19% in pregnant women, a correlation between chronic nonspecific prostatitis and Restless Legs Syndrome.