Constant Leg Shaking

Is constantly shaking ones leg an indication of a disorder. For as long as I can remember I have done this. It drives my Mom crazy. I really enjoy it and have noticed other people in public do the same thing.

I don't think leg shaking is an indication of OCD but it can be a symptom of anxiety to be restless. Horrible disturbing intrusive thoughts accompanied by mental or physical compulsions are most prevalent in OCD sufferers.

I put it in the OCD thread because I didn't know anywhere else to put it. I don't have disturbing thoughts when I shake my leg. It just feels good to do it. Perhaps not limiting the diagnosis to OCD. (i.e. having problems urinating in public is a symptom of social phobia).

ICU, things such as shaking legs or biting nails or rocking to and fro are often self-soothing type rituals that we do subconciously. It could be that you have some stress that built up that you are unaware of that the leg shaking helps with. BTW, my thing is hand tapping or drumming. Makes people crazy because I do it without knowing it sometimes.

I think I found it (from another forum):

Quote:
Originally Posted by Washoe
I don’t know if this helps at all, but there’s something I should have mentioned. Although I’ve noticed a very strong correlation between leg jiggling and substance abuse of all sorts, by far the strongest correlation I’ve noted is between leg jiggling and the use of nicotine. Is there any correlation between ADD and nicotine use?
Oh, yes. For many ADDers, it's the drug of choice. It's a stimulant with exquisite control over delivery. It occupies the hands and the mouth. There is a ritual of lighting and behavior involved with it. Boy, oh, boy, yeah. I can't remember the numbers of the top of my head, but it was something like twice the number of unmedicated ADDers smoked than the general population.

I never smoked either. Caffeine is my stimulant of choice, and I don't even get to abuse it that much anymore, since it gives me heart palpitations.

Frylock, the flip side of distractability for those with ADD is the ability to hyper-focus when under pressure. When I was a kid, I would avoid work until the very last possible moment, but by golly, when that moment came, I was sharp as a laser. You could have had a marching band parade through my room, and I'd never have noticed it. If it's not that, then I usually have a radio playing or I put myself not to far from people who aren't studying, because the background noise actually did make it easier for me to study.

There's a symptoms checklist here, if you'd like to investigate it further. And, BTW, though I originally thought the idea was ridiculous and the last thing I needed was another label, understanding ADD and getting appropriate treatment has drastically improved my life.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/sho ... p?t=432616
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Nicotine, substance abuse, procrastination, leg shaking, concentrated focus when needed seem to fit. I never thought of ADD since I always did well in school.

That's some good info ICU.

I think leg shaking could go hand and hand with a few things. Such as OCD, Anxiety, ADD, Restless Leg syndrome, and numerous neurological diseases. What I really found interesting about what you brought up was the nicotine. That would make a lot of sense from a self medicating stand point. Good find!
I think I said before that I have many OCD traits and I mainly do things with my hands. They are always in motion. The thing with the legs are certainly intriguing.

Tristin

I do it when I get anxious. As a matter of fact, my therapist pointed it out to me during exposure therapy recently.

My leg shaking has nothing to do with being anxious. I do it all the time, unconsciously. When I don't have a worry on my mind. I took the ADD questionaire, and a lot of the symptoms seem to fit me (although the survey by it self is not a definative diagnosis). If I'm not shaking my leg, I'm swaying it back and forth. The restless leg syndrome is more a neurological thing, where you have to move your legs to get rid of an unpleasant sensation. I usually don't have to move my legs when I'm lying down.

ICU wrote:Is constantly shaking ones leg an indication of a disorder. For as long as I can remember I have done this. It drives my Mom crazy. I really enjoy it and have noticed other people in public do the same thing.

its called restless leg disorder as your doc

hey, just a thought- my hubby has ADHD and does that same leg shaking you describe, and he has done it all his life, among other tapping or moving actions. he says he has to move, it helps him, and i dont mind as much now that i know why he does it. he was on ritalin as a kid, and now he doesnt take it because of personal reasons, but some of his ADHD syptoms carry on into everyday routines, like the leg shaking thing. you say that you have symptoms of ADD, so i would say get tested, or the next time your mom is aggrivated about the leg shaking, ask her if ADD or ADHD runs in your family, maybe she will be more considerate- (sorry, just some residual anger that comes out of me of parents not reconizing or supporting mental illness in thier childeren, i was often viewed as a "hypocondriac", and now i have been diagnosed with OCD, Major depressive disorder, Tricotillomainia, ect.) but serioulsy have a talk with her, maybe there is a history and you can find out whats going on. Peace and good luck