{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T12:10:38Z","timestamp":1791288638476,"version":"4.3.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,4]],"date-time":"2024-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1730678400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Neurology International"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Painful legs and moving toes (PLMT) syndrome is a rare movement disorder characterized by defuse lower limb neuropathic pain and spontaneous abnormal, involuntary toe movements. Objective: The objective was to present a rare case of PLMT syndrome with a triggering area in an adult patient due to multilevel discogenic pathology, to make a thorough review of this disorder and to provide a practical approach to its management. Case presentation: A 59-years-old male was admitted to the neurology ward with symptoms of defuse pain in the lower-back and the right leg accompanied by involuntary movements for the right toes intensified by tactile stimulation in the right upper thigh. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a multilevel discogenic pathology of the lumbar and cervical spine, with myelopathy at C5-C7 level. A medication with Pregabalin 300 mg\/daily significantly improved both the abnormal toe movements and the leg pain. The clinical effect was constant during the 90-day follow-up without any adverse effects. Conclusion: Painful legs and moving toes (PLMT) is a condition that greatly affects the quality of life of patients, but which still remains less known by clinicians. Spontaneous resolution is rare, and oral medications are the first-line treatment. Pregabalin is a safe and effective treatment option for PLMT that should be considered early for the management of this condition. Other medication interventions, such as botulinum toxin injections, spinal blockade, or non-pharmacological treatment options like spinal cord stimulation, and surgical decompressions, are also recommended when the conservative treatment is ineffective in well-selected patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/neurolint16060102","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,5]],"date-time":"2024-11-05T10:42:40Z","timestamp":1730803360000},"page":"1343-1354","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Painful Legs and Moving Toes Syndrome: Case Report and Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9898-3962","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mihael","family":"Tsalta-Mladenov","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Second Clinic of Neurology with ICU and Stroke Unit, University Hospital \u201cSt. Marina\u201d, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University \u201cProf. Paraskev Stoyanov\u201d, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vladina","family":"Dimitrova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Second Clinic of Neurology with ICU and Stroke Unit, University Hospital \u201cSt. Marina\u201d, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Optometry and Occupational Diseases, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University \u201cProf. Paraskev Stoyanov\u201d, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Silva","family":"Andonova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Second Clinic of Neurology with ICU and Stroke Unit, University Hospital \u201cSt. Marina\u201d, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University \u201cProf. Paraskev Stoyanov\u201d, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"541","DOI":"10.1093\/brain\/94.3.541","article-title":"Painful legs and moving toes","volume":"94","author":"Spillane","year":"1971","journal-title":"Brain A J. 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