Restless Leg Syndrome in Spanish

What it means

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes a powerful urge to move the legs. The legs become uncomfortable when a person is lying down or sitting; some people describe it as a creeping, crawling, tingling, or burning sensation. Moving makes the legs feel better, but not for long, and RLS can make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) describes RLS, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, as a neurological condition and a sleep disorder triggered by resting and attempting to sleep. MedlinePlus says that in most cases there is no known cause; in other cases RLS is caused by a disease or condition, such as anemia or pregnancy. In Spanish it is síndrome de piernas inquietas.

Spanish term: Síndrome de Piernas Inquietas
Gender and article: masculine: el síndrome de piernas inquietas
Pronunciation: SEEN-droh-meh deh PYEHR-nahs een-KYEH-tahs

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
síndrome de las piernas inquietas	General	Form with the article las, used as the title of the MedlinePlus en español topic page and encyclopedia article.
SPI	General	Spanish abbreviation used by the Spanish-language NINDS page.
enfermedad de Willis-Ekbom	General	The Spanish-language NINDS page says the syndrome is also known by this name; the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia lists it among its alternative names.

The sources write this name in lower case: síndrome de piernas inquietas. Síndrome takes the masculine article, as in el síndrome de piernas inquietas. MedlinePlus en español titles both its topic page and its encyclopedia article síndrome de las piernas inquietas, with the article las, and writes both that form and síndrome de piernas inquietas in the text. NINDS says the syndrome is also known as enfermedad de Willis-Ekbom.

The abbreviation depends on the publisher: the Spanish-language NINDS page writes SPI, while the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia keeps the English abbreviation RLS, explaining that it comes from the English name (por sus siglas en inglés). Words these pages use for the sensations are hormigueo (tingling), ardor (burning) and picazón (itching). The urge to move is described as un deseo irresistible de mover sus piernas by MedlinePlus en español and as una necesidad imperiosa de mover las piernas by NINDS.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	At night I feel a very strong urge to move my legs.	Por la noche siento una necesidad muy fuerte de mover las piernas.
Clinician	What is the sensation like: tingling, burning, or as if something were crawling?	¿Cómo es la sensación: hormigueo, ardor o como si algo se arrastrara?
Patient	It is like tingling, and it gets better when I walk.	Es como un hormigueo, y mejora cuando camino.
Clinician	Does it happen when you sit or lie down?	¿Le ocurre al sentarse o al acostarse?
Patient	Yes, and it does not let me fall asleep.	Sí, y no me deja conciliar el sueño.
Clinician	How many nights a week does it happen?	¿Cuántas noches por semana le ocurre?
Patient	Almost every night. During the day I am very sleepy.	Casi todas las noches. Durante el día tengo mucho sueño.
Clinician	I am going to order a blood test to see whether you have anemia.	Voy a pedirle un análisis de sangre para ver si tiene anemia.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Restless Leg Syndrome
Spanish (Español)	Síndrome de Piernas Inquietas
Chinese (中文)	不寧腿症候群
Korean (한국어)	하지불안 증후군
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Hội chứng chân không yên
Filipino (Tagalog)	Restless Leg Syndrome
Portuguese (Português)	Síndrome das Pernas Inquietas
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	กลุ่มอาการขาอยู่ไม่สุข
Japanese (日本語)	むずむず脚症候群

Where you'll see it

chartEOBreferralmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: G25 → Other extrapyramidal and movement disorders

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Brain and nerves

All terms in this area: Brain and nerves — Cerebro y nervios

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.