Acupuncture & Exercise for Neuropathy
Years ago I went to a training with Ron Fletcher, famous to those of us who LOVE Pilates. He was a dancer who taught Pilates into his 90’s and trained under Joe Pilates. For the first few hours of the training, Fletcher had us basically stand at attention while lecturing us on Pilates history and principles. He called people out for fidgeting and announced, “I’m up here standing and I’m over 80 and have neuropathy.” He was basically asking what our excuse was for struggling to stand. I really appreciated so much of what I learned from Ron Fletcher, but I remember thinking: we are standing still, you are pacing. Making a bunch of people who teach movement for a living stand still is basically torture.
Still, there was no doubt his movement and stamina were impressive.
If you take my Pilates classes, you see moves regularly that I learned from Fletcher.
Since my early days teaching, I’ve worked with many clients dealing with neuropathy. I’m hopeful that movement will help slow the progression of their neuropathy. That’s the kind of thing that is tricky to test because it’s hard to know how quickly anything will progress in a particular person, but conceptually it makes sense. And there is some research to back it up.
Movement—specifically walking, balance exercises, and strength—seems to reduce the pain and possibly slow progression of neuropathy. The thought is that movement increases blood flow to the nerves and keeps them operating more effectively for longer. They have compared patients undergoing chemo who have developed neuropathy and found exercise seems to reduce symptoms, even when the quantity of chemo was higher for the movers.
The good news about movement as a tool is that it can be free. If you have neuropathy I’d start exercises sooner rather than later. You want working nerves as long as you can keep them.
Acupuncture has also shown some promising results in studies for reducing pain from neuropathy. The benefit is also presumed to come from increased blood flow. In one animal study there was indication acupuncture could possibly help regenerate some nerve activation. Animal studies don’t always translate to humans. I’d always be cautious to suggest any type of snake oil when people are dealing with pain, but acupuncture is a tool that we don’t fully understand. It has mixed reviews for a variety of aliments. It’s the kind of tool science struggles to prove or disprove. But if you are working with an accredited professional the side effects/risks should be very low.
If you or someone you love has neuropathy, you should speak to your doctor, but exercise or acupuncture might be worth trying to see if you feel better. Try to get a referral from a trusted source. But there is science to support both.
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