Peripheral diabetic neuropathy occurs when the peripheral nerves are damaged, often causing weakness, numbness, and pain, and it can be a debilitating condition.
Peripheral diabetic neuropathy generally will affect either the hands or feet, but it can spread to other areas of your body as well.
Neuropathy is a common symptom of both Type-1 and Type 2 Diabetes, and it can cause a significant reduction in quality of life. However, exercising can reduce the symptoms of both neuropathy and diabetes.
According to a study published in Physical Exercise for Human Health,
“Exercise is proven to have clinical benefits, such as improved insulin sensitivity, reductions in glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) and increased peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) which are definitely preventive toward diabetes. Exercise training can favorably affect glycemic parameters, the lipid profile, blood pressure, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Exercise improves blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes, reduces cardiovascular risk factors, and regulates body weight by reducing body fat percentage and enhancing lean mass.”
Although it might seem counterintuitive if you are dealing with neuropathy and your hands and feet have pain each day, exercising can have many positive impacts on neuropathy symptoms.
The Best Exercises for Diabetic Neuropathy
Here are some of the best exercises for neuropathy:
Low Impact Aerobic Exercises for Neuropathy
Low impact aerobic exercises are great for people with diabetic neuropathy because they do not put a lot of pressure on your peripheral nerves, and they can improve your markers of health even while having diabetes.
For people with Type-2 Diabetes, low-impact aerobic exercises can significantly improve your insulin sensitivity, while also reducing symptoms of neuropathy.
A few of the best low-impact aerobic exercises for neuropathy are:
- Stationary Bike
- ERG Rowing Machine
- Aqua Aerobics
- Battle Ropes
Battle ropes might seem counter-intuitive to someone managing diabetic neuropathy, but they actually are a great option because they are extremely low impact.
Battle ropes can provide high-intensity workouts even though they are “weightless” and an easy activity on your joints, ligaments, and tendons.
Aqua aerobics is an excellent option if you are looking for a diabetes foot care solution because the water will reduce the pressure on your feet even more than other low-impact cardio workouts.
Yoga for Neuropathy
Yoga is another low-impact form of exercise that can help with managing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Yoga is a great form of exercise that can help reduce stress, improve your flexibility, and promote a healthy heart as well.
Yoga can also help manage hormonal imbalances such as insulin resistance, a primary cause of diabetic neuropathy for people with Type-2 Diabetes.
According to a study on the effectiveness of yoga for neuropathy induced by chemotherapy that was published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum,
“Among breast and gynecological cancer survivors with moderate-to-severe chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, yoga was safe and showed promising efficacy in improving chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms.”
If you would like to try yoga for neuropathy pain, I suggest you check out YogaDownload.com. YogaDownload is an affordable online yoga subscription site that has tons of great yoga videos. You can use YogaDownload for both beginners yoga and advanced practices.
When you become healthier and more advanced with using yoga for neuropathy, you can use intense yoga programs such as the 21 Day Yoga Shred Workout Routine.
Concluding Thoughts – Exercises for Neuropathy
Exercising is one of the best home health care solutions for neuropathy, and it can be especially effective for people with Type-2 Diabetes and diabetic neuropathy.
Not only will doing exercises like yoga for neuropathy help you get healthy and stay healthy, but it will also help you reduce the painful symptoms of neuropathy.
You can find more tips for dealing with diabetic neuropathy at NeuropathyProgram.com.
