Okay so I have questions about exercising with PN. Obviously easier said than done! But I think exercise is beneficial for everyone regardless. Does anyone have any types of exercise they recommend? It's so painful for me to even stand up and walk around my house but I'm hoping if I start doing more regular exercise it will improve my PN. Quite possibly it will make it worse which is why I'm asking this question. Thanks!

Many people find water exercises best.

Otherwise you have to be careful.
Some people find light movement useful, but if you are in
terrible pain, you have to be careful.

If you have back issues or any compression anywhere, be careful.

I was checked for back problems on an MRI and they only found degeneration in my neck which they said wasn't the cause of my PN. I like the pool and we have one at the gym we belong to, but I never go. When I walk my feet get so hot and painful. They also swell most of the time. Not sure if this is just due to inactivity or if it is directly related to neuropathy. The only compression I know of is my ulnar nerve.

Exercise doe NOT make my pn better.

But I do it anyway.

Arobic tapes seem to work best because the feet are moving but not pounding the pavement like walking outside. However, I like a good walk on my treadmill so I do walk a fast pace at an incline on my treadmill for 30 minutes. I do either of those every single day and when I am done my toes are always flaming red and hot to touch but it subsides within an hour. When I walk outside on the pavement it gets more irritated.

I wont give up exercise so I live with it....until I can't.

edit to add: I use to do exercise in the pool and if you do it RIGHT you can really get a good work out in. But it is not my favorite kind of exercise.

While it does not help my pn it does not make it worse either, simply irritates my toes for about an hour afterwards.

Do you have swelling ever? My feet get red hot also but they also swell sometimes which is concerning and I plan to ask my doctor about it.

A young person with swelling ankles is not a good sign.

PN doesn't really do this to everyone equally.

There are other medical things that cause swelling ankles.
So those should be looked into.

Kidney, heart, and thyroid are the big culprits for this. As are various circulation problems like autoimmune conditions.

Cutting back on carbs will also reduce fluid retention, as carbs seem to hold water in the tissues for some reason.

Mrs. D is right. You have to take it easy. I do have PN in my left foot, ankle and calf. I also have a joint that was frozen and they wanted to fuse it. Well that didn't go over so good with me. I began gentle excersices that my son recommended. He is an OPTA. The pain was bad to start with but now has diminished to the point socks and the shoe doesn't hurt as much. I can also bend the joint. I go to a physiatrist, who also said this was helpful. If you can find some professional help, exercise can really help. ginnie

I have not been exercising for a while now but I decided to try my exercise bike recently. I only do 15 minutes for now but at least it is something. I will build it up. I don't have problems when I'm walking. My legs feel so weak when I just stand still or when I come up stairs. I don't think exercise will improve my PN but you never know.

I know that PN makes exercising a challenge. I continue exercising e.g. walking outdoor or doing treadmill, it may not help improve the PN, but, can it further damage the nerves? I remember my first neurologist told me that there is nothing physical that I can do to worsen the nerves. But, then I read in one online article (maybe Mayo's site, not sure), that you shoudl avoid crossing your legs.

I have also heard to avoid crossing your legs but I think that is more if you are sitting or sleeping maybe. Not many exercises would have you crossing your legs for any length of time. It could be bad due to nerve compression or circulation I suppose.