The number one cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes. As your blood sugar level shoots up, the nerve connection from and to the brain is disrupted. As the organs stop receiving signals, your muscles weaken and cramp, which causes pain.
According to a study published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, exercise is extremely effective for diabetics with peripheral neuropathy. 17 participants with diabetic peripheral neuropath took part in the study.
A strength training and aerobic exercise program was created, which lasted for 10 weeks. The result was measured by recording pain levels and through a questionnaire. It was revealed that their nerve fiber branching had significantly improved.
This speaks volumes about the importance of exercise. Moreover, for diabetics, exercise offers many benefits, which include:
Remember — exercise does not cure neuropathy. It only helps you to deal with the pain and reduce its severity. Along with a healthy diet and neuropathy supplements, exercise gives you a better chance of treating your nerve pain for good.
Now that you have a basic understanding of how neuropathy pain sets in, let’s have a look at some of the easiest foot exercises that you can do at home:
Do you tap your toes in joy when listening to your favorite music? Well, do some of that more and you will feel much better. Think of it as dancing discreetly with just your toes. The good news is that you can perform this exercise anywhere, even at social gatherings.
Here’s how to do this exercise:
Let’s change things up a little:
This additional movement improves blood flow and lends flexibility, which you might have lost due to peripheral neuropathy.
Just like tapping toes, this exercise is also pretty easy and can be done anywhere. If you have reduced mobility and joint pain, then this exercise is great to restore movement. It not only increases the nerve’s condition but also blood, which allows you to find relief from pain.
Here’s how to do this exercise:
This exercise strengthens the muscles, connects tissues and loosens the joints. Try doing it at least 5 times a day.
Let’s kick things up a notch. Up till now we were limiting our exercise to the feet. In order to find out if your leg can handle the stretch and not shoot pain towards your toes, do the seated hamstring stretch.
Here’s how to do this exercise:
This exercise improves movement in the toes and allows you to find out how far the peripheral neuropathy goes. Take out some time for your busy routine and find a quiet corner to focus.
Here’s how to do this exercise:
There are two ways you can do this exercise: sitting and standing.
Sitting
Standing
The dorsiflexion movement lends more flexibility to the foot. They key here is to bring your foot closer to the shin.
Here’s how to do this exercise:
There you have it — five easy exercise for your feet. Try doing all these exercises at least once in the day or at night. Start small by making yourself familiar with one exercise and then proceed to the next.
In addition to regular exercises, you may also want to consider taking supplements designed for nerve health in order to support your nerves with the right nutrients.