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.

It's only my feet and toes that swell. So far I don't have any ankle swelling.

My toes look fat and stubby all the time, so I don't no, lol.

I don't think so. Plus I am on a blood pressure pill that is a water pill so I doubt I have any swelling on my toes, but like I said, they are short fat and stubby lol

Okay sorry that was funny. Mine are too, but they actually swell. There is a noticable difference. One more thing to think about I guess. Well I just went for a walk with my son. I made it! Only about 15 minutes but I didn't fall. I am always so afraid I'm going to fall over since my heels go numb. Not too much swelling. I think my anxiety gets the best of me at times and makes this situation way worse than it needs to be.

Well join the young/old lady club...I always link my arm onto my husbands or sons arm when i am walking now. They are all over 6 feet so it works, but I call it the old lady walk now. lol My precious twin sons (age 20) automatically put out their arm when they walk near me.