A electrical pulse therapy for restless legs syndrome could soon arrive in Britain from the US.
The condition affects up to one in ten people and strikes more frequently among women, causing a crawling sensation in the limbs alongside an irresistible urge to move them during the night.
Severe cases severely disrupt sleep, damage mental health, and strain personal relationships and careers.
For individuals at the severe end of the spectrum, the daily impact is enormous, according to Dr Julian Spinks, a GP and chair of RLS-UK.
Medical management of the condition relies primarily on dopamine agonists designed to compensate for chemical deficits in brain circuits. Doctors have grown cautious regarding long-term use because these drugs can trigger augmentation, where symptoms grow stronger and appear earlier in the day. Alternative treatments include nerve drugs like gabapentin and pregabalin, as well as low-dose opioids.
The alternative device, named Nidra and manufactured by Noctrix Health, straps just below the knees for 30 minutes at a time while patients lie in bed. It delivers mild electrical pulses directly to leg nerves without requiring medication.
A recent study tracking more than 200 patients whose symptoms failed to respond adequately to medication found that nearly 80 per cent experienced a clinically meaningful improvement.
Participants using the device during flare-ups saw their average symptom scores improve by 8.4 points, while the weekly frequency of days experiencing symptoms dropped from 6.1 to 4.8.
Nearly one in five participants managed to reduce their current medication safely without worsening symptoms, while reported side effects remained mild, consisting mainly of skin irritation and discomfort.
The device has already seen use among patients in the US, carrying a price tag of about £6,000.
Noctrix Health confirmed it is currently in discussions regarding bringing the hardware to the UK. Any future rollout across the NHS depends on regulatory approval, a NICE assessment, and subsequent price negotiations.
Noctrix Health said that many health needs in Britain remain unaddressed.
Beyond medical interventions, general management involves reducing stimulants like alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and certain antihistamines.
Research also highlights a link between insufficient brain iron and symptom severity, prompting US guidelines to recommend blood tests and targeted supplementation where appropriate.
