I don't have numb feet but do have the broken ankle and foot feeling. Anyhow this may be different but my gramps has pn and he has special shoes made him to help with balance. Have you tried doing any pool therapy? I am thinking of that again and I am not sure if it helps with the numbness may help with making you stronger and balance.

It may help you out to try and build up your feet and leg mussels etc.

It's taken me 3 years and allot of pain but it helped me. I'm much stronger now. I live for hiking because I know what it's doing for my pn. I have quit all junk food and soda. My kids took bets on how long I would last before I went back to my 64ounce soda mug. I was on a huge down hill mentally. I remember reading post on braintalk of those who hiked and thought if only I could get back enough to hike. Everyone is different (FOR SURE) and you may be in just to much pain etc. but for me hiking was my savior. It turned me around. 3 years ago I was in pretty bad shape. Walking was hard, my balance was not good. My son took me for a small hike (he knew it was in my blood) I hiked and hiked and cried from pain but you know what I would not stop until I summitted. I made it back to the car in the dark hardly able to put one foot in front of the other. That's all it took. I have been training ever since. I hike in pain, it does stop me often but after a spell I put my boots back on and get up and keep going. It's been the best thing for me. I weight lift now, do squats, lunges and walk. I even snow shoe in the winter to keep my legs strong. I'm up to walking 3 miles a day now. The first time I went about 3 blocks. (It hurts but I keep hiking in my mind). I have lost almost 30 pounds and I'm now training to summit the highest peak in Utah. Last week I did "Mount Timpanogus". http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/r...impanogos.html

This is me at the top! Snow in August and lots of it up there!!!! The whole hike was 4,839 feet in elevation gain and I did it in 10 hours.

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Marty,

Really enjoyed reading about your hiking adventures. It sounds like fun.

Like lefthanded I am having a lot of numbness. Also, pain and fatigue fom Peripheral Neuropathy.

It seems like its a hurdle just to vacum or do house work.

I use to travel all the time. Love the Coast and Ocean.

Any tips on how to strenghten our muscles without overdoing it.

BonDon

Hi, I also heard to keep exercising, I guess maybe so that your muscle will strengthen, but sometimes that is really painful, sorry that you are having this problem.

I went to the St. Louis zoo today with my daughter and boy my feet and legs became numb and I started to lose some balance. Came home with a lot of pain, but I am glad I spend this time with my daughter. At times though it get the best of me, and just can't go.

where I live, I can only get physio (your PT) if I have an accident. But that is not a problem for me, as with my neuropathy and extreme balance issues (I can only walk flexed forwards from the at a hips 45 degree angle) heck, I fall over all the time. So I am eternally rehabbing from injury. I have never had a claim rejected.

cheers
raglet

I really hesitated telling my story because I have read plenty myself and I only wished that it was me but sometimes it just cant be. There are so many who just can't do it because of balance etc.


Tips for strength: Note, you can over due it and I have countless times. A setback can set you back for a month but with patience one can get through them.

Goals - This is most important.

Patiance - Second most important.

Swimming - If you have excess this is great!

(What I do for my legs) I do get the deep down aching pains in my quads and it really hurts BonDon so I can relate a little to what kind of fatigue pain your having. House work still really gets me tired and is a big hurdle. I have found hiking is just a release from the grind and makes me stronger too.


Leg extensions - I use to sit on the kitchen counter top and just extended my legs up and down. Trying to make my quadriceps as tight as possible. Now I have a universal weight machine that has this.

Squats - Just little ones, standing and holding onto something. Think of your legs getting stronger as you do them.

Stair Steppers - I use my stars at home. I just step up then back down without turning around. When one leg gets tired I switch. I do as many as I can.

Tips for setbacks: - Go slow (it years here) and pay close attention to what your body responds too. For some reason I found that if I ice me feet down as soon as I'm done exercising for a half hour and then apply led lights it responds. If I'm in bad shape I will do this several times a day for a week or two. I think it keeps the swelling down. I take my lights with me to work even and I have ice packs in the fridge there. Basiclly I think it's the cold and then warm effect that's doing the most good but the light might be helping too.

Here's where I bought my lights but I think there's better out there now: http://heelspurs.com/led.html

Since my hike last weekend I have been doing this everyday day and I don't think I will be ready for another hike for a couple of weeks but that's ok. I have my whole life. (That's what I tell myself)


All this work only builds the body. It doesn't make my pain any less in fact it can make it much worse. There's so many other area's like food, sleep, supplements, etc. which is my goal to learn and apply for a year to see if it helps.

All I can say is exercise (hiking is my passion) helped my pn. Somehow some way.

Good luck.

-Marty

Medicare has covered all of my physical outpatient therapy. My neuro wanted the therapy to improve my balance. It just took his prescription.

Yes indeed Marty that is so true. I don't think I recover from going to the Zoo yet. I over did it and now paying for it. Just when you enjoy being with your loves ones or enjoy doing something you like, you push away the thoughts that you will suffer more even later.

It doesn't make your pain any less and yes it usually make it much worse, but you just can't take it all away and quit all the things you enjoy. I think it helps you emotionally until the pain hits hard.

Glad that you haven't given up on hiking, and still making efforts to do something you enjoy.

Blessings, Trish

To improve your balance, take a class on Tai Chi. It helped me quite a bit. You will learn how to put your body's weight on one foot and then the other. Before the class I couldn't put my pants or underwear on without leaning on a surface. Now I can do it.

I do not fall but sometimes I lose my balance, especially when I quickly change direction.

There are several forms of Tai Chi. The one to take is the one that concentrates on slow movement and balance.

Both of my feet are numb, from the toes to the middle of the foot.

Yes many times I over due it and pay big time. I really feel like I might of made it look like I'm a know it all but really just trying to get by like everyone else. It's a find line fore sure. Over due it a pay under do it and pay. It's hard for all of us.