If you suffer from nerve damage, known medically as neuropathy, you're familiar with the numbness, pain and pins and needles sensations this condition can cause. You might have limited mobility and problems with your balance, depending on the cause and extent of your neuropathy. The good news is that many patients with neuropathy can benefit from exercise, if they take a few precautions. Always ask you doctor before you start any exercise program.
Facts
People with neuropathy have good reason to be hopeful: nerve cells do have the ability to regenerate. When nerves are damaged, your body begins a process of breaking down nerve tissue so it can rebuild, notes James Fawcett and Roger Keynes of the Physiological Laboratory and Department of Anatomy at Cambridge University in their 1990 article published in the Annual Review of Neuroscience. Exercise increases circulation throughout the body, assisting the natural process of regrowth.
Concerns
Depending on the cause of your neuropathy, you might have to be careful about the kind of exercise you pursue, notes Dr. Sri Prakash Mokshagundam, endocrinology researcher at the University of Louisville. In an interview published at Neurology Reviews online, Mokshagundam states that people with nerve damage because of type 2 diabetes cannot put too much pressure on their feet because doing so can lead to serious complications. People who experience vertigo should choose exercise forms in which their bodies are supported. Swimming, using a stationary bike and working out on weight machines where you can remain seated are all safe options.
Best Bets
Intensive stretching and muscle-building exercises demonstrated the most impressive effects in patients with neuropathy, according to two studies. A 2006 review article published in Alternative Medicine Review by naturopath Kathleen Head reported that people with neuropathy who practiced yoga for 30 to 40 minutes every day experienced improvements in their neuropathy symptoms, while a group who did light exercise such as walking, deteriorated. Participants in Mokshagundam's study worked out for 30 minutes, three times per week, using weights and resistance training machines. They experienced decreased pain levels and 40 percent to 60 percent improvement in their muscular strength.
Time Frame
Depending on the frequency of your workouts, you can see improvement in your neuropathy symptoms in a little over a month. Patients in the yoga study experienced some relief from their symptoms by the end of the 40-day trial period. Mokshagundam's patients improved after working out for 12 weeks. In a 2010 study by Patricia Kluding of the University of Kansas Medical Center, published in The Diabetes Educator, diabetes patients who did both aerobic and resistance training every other day for 10 weeks reduced their pain levels and gained better control over their blood sugar.
Expert Insight
If you have any concerns about beginning a program of exercise to help your neuropathy, ask your doctor to refer you to a physical therapist or occupational therapist, advises the website of the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy. A physical therapist works with your body to build up any areas of weakness, improve your range of motion, and teach you to use any splints or braces you might need to help with your balance and posture as you exercise. An occupational therapist can coach you to avoid injury as you go about everyday tasks, help you with self-care, and improve any motor or sensory skills that your neuropathy has compromised.
References
- "Annual Review of Neuroscience"; Peripheral Nerve Regeneration; JW Fawcett and RJ Keynes; March 1990
- Neurology Reviews: Resistance Training for Neuropathy
- Alternative Medicine Review: Peripheral Neuropathy--Pathogenic Mechanisms and Alternative Therapies
- "The Diabetes Educator"; Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Pilot Health Promotion Program; P.M. Kluding et al.; July-August 2010
- The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy: Exercise
