While the general benefits of aerobic and flexibility exercises are well-known, increasing movement and heart-rate are particularly important for people suffering with peripheral neuropathy. Physical activity can improve blood circulation, which strengthens nerve tissues by increasing the flow of oxygen.
Exercise may be a particularly important treatment option for patients with neuropathic pain, due to its wide array of established health benefits, such as reduced risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer; reduced depression and anxiety; and improved sleep, cognition, bone ...
Exercise-Induced Nerve Pain or Numbness / Exertional Compartment Syndrome. Some individuals develop pain or numbness with strenuous physical activity, which may be related to nerve compression or exertional compartment syndrome. This is most common in the legs.
They may feel like they will lose their edge and get out of practice by taking time to rest a pinched nerve, but trying to power through the pain and injury will only make it much worse – and the recovery time much longer.
“Exercise as a first-line option for a pinched nerve should always be recommended. It's low risk, something you can do on your own to improve your situation, and it's part of the long-term solution,” says Dr. Tambar.
Sleep on it. Nerve pain can worsen at night, disrupting sleep and making it more difficult to cope with pain.
Treadmill running increases the number of regenerating neurons, the rate of axonal growth, and the extent of muscle reinnervation following peripheral nerve injury.
Severe cases may require medical care but for many patients, gentle exercises that target the affected area can help relieve minor nerve pain. These stretches lessen the pressure placed on the nerve and loosen the surrounding muscles. Plan to make these exercises part of your daily routine, two or three times per day.
It's the perfect low-impact aerobic exercise for everyone. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. The more you exercise on a consistent basis, the better your chances are at reducing your nerve pain.
You may need to rest the affected area until it's healed. Nerves recover slowly, and maximal recovery may take many months or several years. You'll need regular checkups to make sure your recovery stays on track. If your injury is caused by a medical condition, your doctor will treat the underlying condition.
A number of studies over the past several decades have shown the positive role of exercise on nerve regeneration and functional recovery in animal models after peripheral nerve injury.
Studies now demonstrate molecular and cellular changes in DRG sensory neurons can be induced by exercise. The benefits of exercise can appear quickly as seen in the improvement in regeneration after nerve injury following as little as 3 or 7 days of exercise (Molteni et al., 2004).
At night our body temperature fluctuates and goes down a bit. Most people tend to sleep in a cooler room as well. The thought is that damaged nerves might interpret the temperature change as pain or tingling, which can heighten the sense of neuropathy.
On average, damaged nerves can grow back at a rate of about 1 inch per month or 1 millimeter per day.
In cases of nerve damage, massage therapy can be useful to relieve symptoms and improve the overall health of a patient. If you are experiencing a tingling sensation, numbness, or pain in some areas of your body, massage therapy may be able to alleviate these symptoms.
Numerous clinical studies have found that magnesium has beneficial effects in patients suffering from neuropathic pain, dysmenorrhea, tension headache, acute migraine attack, and others.
Green and leafy vegetables.
Broccoli, spinach and asparagus all contain vitamin B, a nutrient important for nerve regeneration and nerve function. Spinach, broccoli and kale also contain a micronutrient called alpha-lipoic acid that prevents nerve damage and improves nerve function.
Speeding up nerve regrowth for trauma patients: Electrical stimulation a week before surgery causes nerves to regenerate three to five times faster, leading to better outcomes.
Your nerves have an ability to heal and regenerate even once they have been damaged, assuming that they have been properly repaired.
Nutritional or vitamin imbalances, alcoholism, and exposure to toxins can damage nerves and cause neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deficiency and excess vitamin B6 are the best known vitamin-related causes. Several medications have been shown to occasionally cause neuropathy.
The pain associated with a trapped nerve can be high, but most cases resolve with non-operative physiotherapy treatment in a few weeks.
Physiotherapy is an important intervention for pinched nerve or nerve compression. As nerves exit the spine through holes called foramina, anything that encroaches into this space can put pressure or “pinch” the nerve. Nerve compression results in significant discomfort for patients.
How do I know the nerve is recovering? As your nerve recovers, the area the nerve supplies may feel quite unpleasant and tingly. This may be accompanied by an electric shock sensation at the level of the growing nerve fibres; the location of this sensation should move as the nerve heals and grows.
If left untreated, the numbness, tingling, and burning caused by peripheral neuropathy will get worse over time. The damaged nerves will continue to send confusing messages to the brain more frequently until the spinal cord gets so used to sending the signals, it will continue to do it on its own.