I have alway been fit and active, but for the last year I've had severe PN in both feet (from cancer). I have found that exercises relieve the PN pain both while I'm doing the exercises and for a few hours afterwards. I think two things happen:

1) Endorphines are released
2) Blood circulation increases and relieves som of the nerve pain (I would like to know why that is)

I have found swimming, kayaking, careful bicycling, chair excercises, sit-ups, push-ups etc. to be wonderful. The PN pain almost disappears as long as I keep exercising. I can't walk much and can't wear shoes so all my exercises are aimed at not putting weight or pressure on my feet. I believe a TENS machine (electric current from a so-called Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) does the same thing. However, it seems as if the TENS machine is only useful as long as it's on and working. As soon as you stop using the machine - the pain comes back.

Regards,
Grete

Grete writes:
I think the endorphine hypothesis is probably correct for everyone, and the circulation hypothesis is correct for many people (including me). In a few people I suspect stimulation, including increased blood flow, may trigger parathesia -- those would be the people who experience stabs of pain when walking, for instance.

So far my PN involves only numbness (and some mild burning if I am too inactive) so I'm very lucky.

I'm able to do foot-intensive exercises like jogging and elliptical steppers, and both seem to help. The best, though, is a long hike over steep, uneven surfaces, so my feet flex and push every which way.

I realize not everyone with PN can do these activities, though.

Other than that, toe-raises seem especially useful. I think they strengthen the muscles which stabilize the lower leg, and help with balance. Sometimes I sit and rotate my ankles -- that is, hold my lower leg still and flex my ankle so that my toes move in a circle.

Massaging my feet seems to help too. I rub hard, from heel to toes, and across the top of my foot. I twist the ball of my foot back and forth to flex the metatarsals as well. If I have the time I spend a half an hour doing first one foot and then the other.

My mother's PN has left her unable to control her ankles or feet. She wears special shoes and uses a walker, and she goes 10 blocks a day for exercise. She's 88 years old, and a constant inspiration to me... For her, the exercise may not directly affect her PN. I suspect, though, that it helps her think of herself as a healthy person. She's not a sick, crippled old woman; she's a fundamentally healthy, strong woman who has a problem with her feet. Big difference.

There was an excellent article in The New Yorker, December 12 2011 (see here) on the placebo effect. Since what people believe about a treatment or therapy can make a huge difference in how effective the treatment is, it seems to me that one can use belief to one's benefit in managing something like peripheral neuropathy.

For instance, many studies have shown that exercise is good for humans. It may or may not actually help PN -- but if I believe it helps my PN then I'm getting placebo benefits on top of the scientifically proven general health benefits.

It seems the same for diet...studies show that omega-3 oils from fish reduce inflammation and have health benefits. They may or may not specifically help PN, but if I believe they do then my PN symptoms may in fact ease, and in any case I gain anti-inflammatory benefits by eating fish.

So maybe if something is known to have health benefits, and if it does not adversely affect our PN, then it's actually constructive to think that it may be helping.

Not sure if that makes sense, but what the heck.

Thanks so much you have given me some really good ideas and things to try.

I see that the swimming is going to be my best so far and I"m still going to try the tai chi plus keep doing different machines to find a good combo