Small Fiber Neuropathy: How do you stretch!?

I do chair yoga every day, and also stretching, relaxation, and pain relief using Silver Sneakers and YMCA videos online.

Silver Sneakers videos on their YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@silversneakers/videos

YMCA360.org is the website I use for ymca videos.

My idiopathic PN hasn’t been diagnosed as SFN, but I get tight as you’ve described. I seem to take a lot of days to recover from even the most simple daily tasks or movements that may have used a new muscle. PT has helped me so much with gentle exercises and some of their massages to get knots out. Even with safe stimulation and supervision, the stretches still sometimes leave me sore, but I’ve found that my recovery times improve. It’s been extremely helpful. I complete a round, try hard to keep up with the take home exercises, but generally regress a bit, then have my PCP refer me for another round of sessions. I have a co-pay, but to me it’s like paying a personal trainer with more medical knowledge being a physical therapist so that there’s better understanding of my goals and medical limitations. I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now if I hadn’t had PT’s over my 6+ years of living with this.

I just signed up for aerial yoga. I will let you know. The silks help me keep my balance and I am encouraged by the teacher. Have only been twice so will check back in in a month.

My problem is usually in my ankles & calves, which get really tight & often cramp when at rest. I purchased a StrongTek Portable Slant Board calf Stretcher from Amazon (there are several similar products, at a wide range of price points). It is light weight, portable, easy to use & has several incline options. With Amazons return policy, it may be worth a try.

Has anyone tried walking around a pool the working up to water aerobics for arthritis? Or even just being in the pool? Pools that work with the arthritis foundation are kept at a certain temperature, so as to help the joints. Exercise and relief!

Totally agree!

I too have problem with stretching. Whenever, I tried to stretch lightly doing basic yoga pose, pain is aggravated. Yesterday I attempted stretching again to see if this has changed and last night I couldn't sleep until 3 am because of throbbing pain everywhere. Lidocainea and hot compress didn't work to stop the pain, so I ended up taking 50 mg CBD and was able to go to sleep. I'm still in a lot of pain this morning and try not to move much. Also, I don't tolerate well doing light exercise. My muscles got fatigued easily and I easily ran out of breath. From reading some of the comments on this group, I believe SFN can affect muscle function greatly as functional nerve is required for properly blood flow regulation to the muscle and when this is not affected, I guess the muscle can get fatigued easily. I hope things get better for us.

Stretching always gives me a leg cramp. I do my exercises in the afternoon with Curtis Adams on you tube. For seniors. I have to start off slow. He has all levels. Then work up to an hour. By the end of the week. 👍🏻

I always have to have shoes & socks on during the day. At night it gets a little difficult. I put Voltaren on let it dry then put big socks on. Yea

I was recently diagnosed with SFN (like, 3 weeks ago) but have had the symptoms that led to my SFN testing since I was quit young. It was called all kinds of other things, or blamed on multiple other conditions. So I, like you, have spent longer in this body in pain than I ever did pain free. The BEST solution I have ever found for what you are describing is a real, well preformed, deep tissue massage. Followed by copious amounts of range of motion exercises. I’m talking the kind of thing you learn in PT. Resistance band training is a good way to build long, lean muscle and improve body control and maintain range of motion.

Find a massage therapist you LOVE, who really knows about your body and explain to them what you are dealing with and what you want to do. They are your new best friend. Then start to get hooked up with a physical therapist or top tier athletic trainer and again- tell them where your at and what your realistic goals are. They can teach you so much about how to accommodate your limitations and still get the best of your body.

I was told when I was 17 that I would likely be in a wheelchair by 30. I’m 37, a full time dog trainer specializing in reactivity and aggression (at 5’1” some of these dog weigh what I do), and, while there are struggles, I still use my body just about every damn day. That wheel chair may come for me, but it isn’t today! I owe a great deal of that to amazing physical therapists who taught me SO much about my broken body and how to help it.