Does anyone else get increased tingling in hands and legs after walking?

I'm trying to figure out if my PN could be a circulation problem. Does anyone have experience with PN due to poor circulation?

This could just be a side effect of the nerve damage itself, but I'm not sure how to determine the difference.

Thanks,
Lindsay

Hi Lindsay,

Don't know the answer to your question, but excessive walking does increase tingling in my feet (not to mention pain, and in some cases, burning) but it's always been temporary, and AFAIK, the walking and increased circulation should be good for our nerves.

Doc

I also have increased tingling and burning in my feet and legs after walking a lot, but as Dr. Smith said, I believe the benefits outweigh the discomfort/pain.
My hands are not affected that much from walking, although my hiking poles can aggravate pinched nerves after a particularly long walk.
Car rides set off the tingling and burning in both feet/legs and hands/arms. It can be quite painful. I have assumed that having extremely longs arms and legs is a factor in this, along with the vibration.

Tingling and burning in feet/legs, hands/arms can mean that you have done too much. I would love to walk like I used to but can't do that much anymore. I do overdo it at times though. Overdoing can exacerbate CMT. Moderation is one of the things we have to be aware of. And we have to know our physical limits.

I know what you mean, Kitt, but I have such a hard time knowing which limits are self-imposed and which ones are legitimate concessions to my condition. So difficult, especially as walking, even hiking, in our mostly flat coastal state parks, is one of my greatest pleasures. The other is needlework which CMT has largely taken from me. I really know when I have overdone the needlework, my hands and arms are a mess.

I have also noticed that the tingling will increase if I put my hand under high pressure running water.

The second neuro that I went to used a tool that vibrates on my feet. She asked me to tell her when the vibrations stop. Well, they never stopped. She looked at me and said "Do you still feel that" I said yes, but the intensity is starting to fade. She never explained to me what that meant and I never thought to ask.

Maybe I will ask at my follow up in the next few weeks.

It's a tuning fork (usually 128 hz). I'm not sure how much or what all you'd like to know, but you can find a lot googling: peripheral neuropathy tuning fork

HTH,

Doc

--it's always a possibility that multiple things are happening--some people report increased symptoms, especially parastheses, with exercise, but whether this is from disturbing damaged nerves or from nerves actually waking up from increased circulation and their receiving more oxygen/nutrients may be difficult to determine.

We've got a thread going that talks about healing nerves causing increased symptoms (in the context of laser light therapy or LED therapy), at least for a time:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread168681-3.html

My bias tends to be that one should exercise to tolerance--exercise certainly has benefits beyond possible increased circulation to nerves. But I realize this tolerance varies widely.

Having multiple pain issues, finding exercises that work within one's limits can be a challenge in itself. We finally found some Tai-Chi routines we can do. (Not for everyone - just what we do.) There are so many tailored programs - for pain, seniors, disabled (chair-bound), arthritis, others.... All low-impact. I'm sure some of this is marketing, but having reviewed about a dozen DVDs ourselves, I can say they are quite different and tailored (and worth preview shopping for at the public library or online videos - some are really good and some are horrible).

Whatever works.

Doc

The symptoms that you're describing sound like small fiber neuropathy. Few neurologists understand this neuropathy and it's very under diagnosed. A skin plug biopsy of your lower leg can provide a definitive diagnosis. It's a nasty condition, and the only real way to remedy the symptoms and keep it from progressing is to find the etiology and treat the underlying cause. Good luck.