Why Do People Shake Their Legs?
Many of us have at some point found ourselves unconsciously shaking our legs. According to M. Farouk Radwan's article, "Shaking legs in body language," when you shake your legs, it means you're most likely bored, anxious, tense, or stressed. Leg shaking, or "tremors," can also be caused by stimulants and certain medical conditions.
Boredom
Boredom is considered a negative stimulus. In other words, it's one of our body's ways of telling us we aren't being suitably stimulated by the present activity. Shaking or bouncing our legs can provide a small stimulus to distract us from the boredom, and relieve some of the tension of sitting still. While leg shaking can be distracting to others, it's probably preferable to alternatives like repeatedly clicking a pen or tapping your fingers.
Concentration
Shaking our legs isn't always a sign of boredom. Some people do it while they're concentrating on a task or problem. It's not completely clear why some use repetitive movements in a state of concentration. It may be that the mild stimulus gives restless parts of the brain enough stimulus to keep from interrupting the concentrated state of mind. Research conducted on children with ADHD suggests they use repetitive motions in this manner.
Anxiety
Shaking your legs is sometimes done unintentionally as your body seeks to balance your emotions. For instance, if you feel nervous about a meeting but need to appear composed and confident, your legs might shake as an outlet for your anxiety while the rest of your body appears professionally poised. Sometimes, leg shaking is the only acceptable outlet for dealing with both minor and severe anxiety. In a setting like a hospital waiting room or a courtroom, running, screaming, or otherwise melting down is socially unacceptable. However, merely shaking our legs or tapping our feet is considered a subtle and reliable method to release anxiety.
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Medical Conditions
In some cases, leg shaking goes beyond subconscious behavior and into a symptom of an underlying medical condition. People suffering from restless leg syndrome (RLS) feel an uncontrollable urge to move their legs to alleviate crawling, itching, aching, or other unpleasant feelings. Leg shaking can also be a symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). People with ADHD are especially likely to shake their legs or perform other repetitive motions while concentrating. However, uncontrollable tremors can also be a symptom of Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis. Both are nervous system disorders that impair a person's ability to consciously control their limbs and extremities. Most of the time, however, people who shake their legs subconsciously are not suffering from any serious medical conditions.
Source:betterhelp
