It’s almost May, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, a time to celebrate and raise awareness about the role that fitness plays in our health, as well as encourage people to be more active. Even simple exercises can have tong-term benefits, even if you have chronic health trouble that affects your legs and feet. Many people with chronic problems, such as peripheral neuropathy, worry that normal exercise could make things worse for their feet. The good news is that you can learn to exercise safely and improve your fitness, even with nerve problems.
Exercising With Peripheral Neuropathy
Damage to your nerves poses a lot of dangers for your body, particularly your lower limbs. In your feet it can leave you with numbness, burning pain, or both. They are also significantly more prone to minor injuries that could become infected and rapidly grow much worse. Because of this, you run the risk that sports or fitness activities could cause problems for your feet.
You can exercise safely, however, and experience the benefits of good fitness in spite of your neuropathy. Here are a few tips to get the most out of exercising and reduce your injury risk:
- Stick to low-impact – Activities like swimming, biking, yoga, or even moderate walking don’t involve lots of hard impacts that can damage your lower limbs.
- Condition carefully – Start small and build strength over time, so you don’t overdo it and accidentally hurt your feet.
- Exercise regularly – Being active regularly and frequently is the best way to get fit and experience benefits, even with nerve damage.
- Wear the right shoes – Always protect your feet with supportive shoes that help you manage pressure on your lower limbs.
Get More Information On Peripheral Neuropathy
Remember to check your feet before and after being active to look for potential problems. Getting fit shouldn’t cause more issues. Let our team at Carolina Podiatry Group help you exercise safely with neuropathy. Just call one of our South Carolina offices for more information: (803) 548-FEET for our Indian Land office, or (803) 285-1411 for our Lancaster location.
