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Neuropathy with back pain exercise
I am 73 and haven't been diagnosed with any kind of PN yet, although, through extensive research, determined that I have some form of PN in my feet. I have a conductive nerve test in June (first available). Experiencing numbness in toes and balls of both feet moving to ankles, that causes balance issues. No falls as of yet. To exacerbate this, I suffer from spinal stenosis at my L4/5 and S1. I've had a radio frequency ablation that failed and just had an epidural.
Enough about my symptoms.
I've only been able to bear standing no longer than 10 or 15 minutes without having to sit to relieve the back pain, so exercise has been out of the question for me. About a year and a half ago I bought a treadmill that just sits there because I just can't use it for much more than 5 minutes due to my back pain. My granddaughters get more out of it when they come to visit!
So, finally my question.
What is a good indoors exercise machine I can use to get back into some halfway decent shape? Get the legs strengthened and burn some calories. I used to have a recumbant, but found I just didn't care for it and sold it. I'm thinking an old fashioned stationary bike would be best. Good for legs and burning calories and easy on the back. Any other ideas that I can't think of would be greatly appreciated!
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@doctordeuce
Thank you for all this information! Very much appreciated and helpful!
@bjk3 Hi Barb! Sorry it's been awhile since I was here. I was having issues with my password, but it finally got resolved. So here's my update ~ on May 26, I had a lumbar laminectomy decompression of L1-L5 with accompanying medial facetectomy and foraminotomy - i.e., he "took the roof of my lumbar spine" and "made room for the nerves exiting and branching out from the canal". I was in the hospital 5 days, only because I had respiratory issues after the fact. The surgery itself took just under 4 hours, but there were no complications and the surgeon said he was "very confident that he got good decompression everywhere that was causing trouble." So today I'm 4-weeks post-op. I'm healing well, walking around the house without assistance, just taking small steps and trying not to sit too long. I've had none of the burning and weakness in the backs of my thighs, and only had one twinge of sciatic pain in my left butt a couple of days ago. I'm doing stretching exercises on the bed, and isometric ones while sitting down. I'm off of the pain meds and just using a really good ice wrap that I got on Amazon (it's bigger than the Magic Ice brand) and it's wonderful. I even ventured out on Sunday to go to church, and it was so nice to get out of the house and be able to worship and hugs friends I hadn't seen in awhile. I used my cane for balance and did just fine. It's been a journey I wouldn't wish on anyone, but God has been so faithful and helped me through every struggle, and He still is. Thank you for your prayers. I know the prayers of everyone have touched Heaven on my behalf and I'm so grateful for them.
I have had PN for over 20 years and have been on Lyrica. I'm still on it. Until last night, the burning and sharp stabbing pain had gone away, but last night my feet were on fire. All I can do is keep giving each of these struggles to God, and thank Him that His grace is sufficient. I'm firmly believing that He's in the process of healing the PN as a result of this surgery. If this is what it took, PTL! I go in for my 6-week checkup in a couple of weeks. It felt wonderful to get the staples out (32 of them!) at 2-weeks, and the incision is healing well. I'm confident I'll get to the point where I can walk easier and farther with His help and get stronger. Some days it feels like an uphill battle, like you said - the PN, arthritis in my right knee, a pinched nerve in my shoulderblade - it can all feel daunting. Today I made of list of everything that's hurting and said, "God, you know all about these pains. Whatever their purpose, I surrender to you and ask you for your strength, because that's what you promise in your Word, and your promises are true. So thank you for your grace to help in time of need."
I'm praying for you, Barb, that God is meeting your needs and giving you His strength, as well as His peace, knowing that He's in control. I pray my words are an encouragement to you and anyone here who reads them. God is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think.
@bjk3 Hi Barb! I hope you're still around, checking on this site! I'm so sorry for the long delay in updating you. My surgery on 5/26/26 was successful and I've been going to PT twice a week - working on strengthening my core, hips, quads, glutes and calf muscles. I love my therapists - Barbra, Aubrey and Ian at Custom PT - who were recommended by my surgeon's APRN. There were no complications with the surgery, but the first few days afterwards they had a heck of a time getting my pain meds balanced and I ended up in "acute respiratory distress" on Thursday and was discharged on Friday! The first couple of weeks at home was a huge learning curve, despite all of the "assists" I'd ordered. It was challenging, and aggravating at times, but I know God helped me through it. I also give him all the glory for my recovery afterwards, because I've improved at incredible speed. The surgeon's nurse and my therapists said at my 6-week checkup that many people are still in a lot of pain at that point. I was able to stop the pain medication (Oxy 5mg) after two weeks and only took the muscle relaxer sporadically. The nurse told me to "take it before PT - you'll be glad you did" and he was right! But I'm getting much stronger, my gait is improving, hips are sore from working them but in a good way, and I've been climbing the 19 stairs in our house multiple times a day for the past couple of months. In fact, the stair lift we had installed, which was a huge help initially, has been parked since the middle of July and hasn't been used! I'm thrilled about that - and the fact that I've had absolutely NO sciatic pain or low-back pain. I got the ok from the therapist today to start going to the gym, so tomorrow I'm going to start using the treadmill and the bicycle, aiming for just 10-15 minutes on each so as not to overdo it.
I too am so grateful for how the Lord has provided for us this year - through the prayers, encouragement and physical assistance at times from others. We don't always understand the reasons for what we go through, but when we're a child of God, we can be assured that He's always with us through it all, and that He has reasons known only to Him. Thank you Barb for your prayers and encouragement. I'm praying for you as well, that the Lord will give you opportunities to participate that are within your limits. Don't worry about what others think - it's God's opinion that matters, and He is FOR you - always! ~ Karen ♥
@steveinmontana ~ Hi Steve! Have you found a neurosurgeon yet? I had a decompression laminectomy of my lumbar spine (L1-L5/S1) on 5/26 and it was totally successful to relieve my sciatica/low-back pain. I've been going through physical therapy twice a week to regain strength in my core, quads, glutes, etc. and I'm definitely getting stronger. I thought/hoped my PN was related to the spinal stenosis, but nerve conduction text a few weeks ago said differently. At least the sfn is still limited to my feet and isn't going up my legs. I had drop foot as a result of muscle weakness in my left foot, and PT is helping that to improve, as well as my balance. I'm also taking low dose Naltrexone (LDN) at 2.5mg which is used "off label" to treat chronic pain. It has to come from a compounding pharmacy, so perhaps your doctor will give you a prescription to try it. I've had no side effects and it has eliminated the sharp stabbing pains in my toes. I'll be increasing the dose to 3.5mg in another 30 days and hope it will stop the tingling as well. It does nothing for numbness. If there isn't a compounding pharmacy near you, there's a few good ones online who ship - see EmpowerPharmacy.com out of Houston.