Can Physical Therapy Eliminate My Neuropathy?

If you’re one of the 20 million Americans living with leg tingling, numbness, and weakness from neuropathy and looking for solutions to manage your symptoms, you can find them at Foot and Ankle Specialists.

Our offices in The Woodlands, Huntsville, and Memorial City, Texas, are equipped with the latest diagnostic testing and treatment services for peripheral neuropathy.

Our expert podiatrists create a treatment plan to manage your existing neuropathy symptoms and prevent the condition from getting worse. We offer minimally invasive procedures in-office and can refer you to a physical therapist, chiropractor, or other specialists when needed.

An overview of peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy describes damage to your peripheral nerves, which includes your motor, sensory, and autonomic nerves that provide sensations to your upper and lower extremities. Nerve damage interferes with signals that travel from your nerves to your brain and causes a range of symptoms that affect your arms, hands, feet, and legs.

Diabetes is a leading cause of neuropathy. When your blood sugar levels remain high for too long, damage occurs in the nerve fibers. Physical trauma from a fall, car accident, or sports injury can also trigger neuropathy symptoms.

Recognizing symptoms of neuropathy

Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can range from mild to severe. They can also vary based on the type of nerves that are damaged.

Common symptoms of neuropathy that manifest in your feet and legs include:

• Muscle weakness
• Muscle cramping
• Poor coordination
• Loss of reflexes

You may also lose your ability to feel sensations like temperature changes, vibrations, or touch if you have severe nerve damage. As neuropathy progresses, it can cause physical limitations that prevent you from exercising, working, and engaging in other activities.

Managing neuropathy symptoms early can lower your risk for such limitations. Our podiatrists typically recommend the least invasive treatment first to keep you active and symptom-free. 

In many cases, physical therapy can provide relief of muscle weakness, cramping, and coordination issues but it won’t cure neuropathy.

How physical therapy helps control neuropathy

Physical therapy involves stretching, exercises, and other therapeutic techniques to improve the flexibility and function of your musculoskeletal system. The goals of therapy are to relieve your pain and improve your muscle strength, so you can stay physically active.

In managing your neuropathy, physical therapy can reduce the intensity of your symptoms. You may still need additional treatments to prevent nerve damage from progressing, but ongoing therapy sessions can give you a new lease on life.

The exercises you learn from your physical therapist aim to:

Optimize muscle strength

Exercises targeting the muscles in your feet and legs help increase their strength and enhance your overall stability.

Stimulate better blood flow

Therapeutic treatments support better blood flow throughout your legs and feet, which can reduce the intensity of your pain and prevent complications like blood clots.

Improve balance and coordination

Physical therapy helps create stronger, more flexible muscles and other soft tissues to improve your balance and restore your coordination.

If physical therapy isn’t doing enough to keep neuropathy symptoms under control, our experienced podiatrists may recommend nonsurgical treatments like medications or corticosteroid injections. We continue to monitor your progress with treatment and can ultimately recommend surgery when necessary.

Call the Foot & Ankle Specialists office near you today to schedule an evaluation to learn more about your options for neuropathy care or book an appointment online anytime.