Patients call Restless Legs Syndrome one of the most common yet most commonly unknown disorders. Kay Wright describes it as the "invisible" disorder.

"To me, it means, there are ants crawling between the muscle fibers in my legs, between my ankles and my knees,"said Wright.

She was diagnosed several years ago with Restless Legs Syndrome, or RLS. It causes involuntary muscle spasms in the legs to the point where sufferers lose sleep and the ability to concentrate during the day. Up until her diagnosis, Wright was miserable.

"I suffered from chronic depression for 25 years, and now I think that the RLS played a large part in that," explained Wright.

She said most RLS sufferers don't know they have it. But she said with treatment, life becomes more livable and doctors agree.

"Restless legs is not such a benign condition," said Dr. John Mruzik, a Mediquick physician. "It reduces sleep, it can lead to hypertension, it can have some very serious effects on people's inner-relationships. But it's treatable, yes."

Wright now uses a special foot rest to improve her posture.

"My body is in an ergonomically correct position," Wright said.

She also stands at a table to read the newspaper.

"This way I can stand and move my legs as I'm reading," she said. 

Wright sees herself as a new woman. She now gets sleep, concentrates during the day, and maintains a steady relationship with her partner.

"I cannot tell you the difference," she said.

And with the help of medication and simple lifestyle adjustments at home, Wright said patients can overcome RLS so that nobody should have to go through what she did. She is currently in charge of the RLS support group in mid-Missouri.

"If you're not getting treatment for it, if I sat down to watch TV, within about 10 minutes, my legs would involuntarily start moving," Wright said.

It's an aggravation she's glad is under control for her, but doctors are still doing research to determine the exact cause of RLS.

If you think you may have the disorder, click on link to the RLS Web site on the left for a list of symptoms and facts about the disorder.