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Over 20 million Americans are estimated to suffer from neuropathy (also known as peripheral neuropathy). The reason it’s often called “peripheral” neuropathy is because the resulting pain will often manifest in pain and weakness in your hands, knees, and feet. In this article, we will focus primarily on neuropathy’s impact on your feet, and well as highlighting ways to make your feet pain-free once again. In particular, we will be highlighting the therapeutic role that a foot massager has for neuropathy foot pain, as well as provide suggestions for cost-effective massagers.
What is Neuropathy?
According to the Mayo Clinic, neuropathy is the “result of damage to nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.” This often leads to numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and feet. When the nerves around your brain get damaged, the peripheral nerves send “signals” throughout your body. These signals manifest in the pain and discomfort we associate with neuropathy. As mentioned above, over 20 million Americans suffer from this. Luckily, there are numerous ways to ease this discomfort and reclaim your life. In order to examine these methods more closely, we first must understand what causes neuropathy.
What Causes Neuropathy?
Neuropathy has many root causes. One of the most common causes of neuropathy is diabetes. Diabetes is known to lead to high blood sugar (aka blood glucose) levels. Unfortunately, high blood sugar levels often result in damage to the nerves in your legs and feet, which often leads to the painful sensations that come with neuropathy. Neuropathy can also be caused by trauma, autoimmune disorders, or even infections. When sustaining a serious injury, nerve damage is likely to occur. When this happens, peripheral neuropathy will often pop up, which is where the pain and discomfort come from. Luckily, it’s possible to reduce (or even eliminate) this pain throughout your body and feet.
How Do You Get Rid of Neuropathy In Your Feet?
One of the simplest ways to relieve neuropathy in your feet is by making healthier life choices. Cutting down on alcohol consumption, smoking, eating a healthy diet, and even getting more exercise all go a long way in providing neuropathy relief. It’s easier said than done, but it really is that simple. This is because each of these actions either positively or negatively impact your nervous system. For example, when you drink too much, you can damage your nervous system, leading to another kind of neuropathy known as “alcoholic neuropathy”. Meanwhile, if you eat a healthy diet rich with fruits and vegetables, along with other foods known for their anti-inflammatory properties, you are supporting your nervous system – making it harder for neuropathy to take hold and cause foot pain or discomfort. Aside from this standard advice, another easy way to rid yourself of neuropathy is with a good foot massager. You may be thinking “Are foot massagers good for your feet?” With the right foot massager, the answer is an undeniable “yes”. That just begs one question…
How Can Foot Massagers Help Relieve Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy?
Although they don’t directly heal nerve damage, foot massagers are specially designed for relaxing sore, tired, and painful feet. The massage alone goes a long way to relieving the pain of neuropathy. When a massage properly targets the tissues surrounding the affected area, the nerves also experience intense relief, which often leads to the pain subsiding. It’s easy enough to hire a massage therapist for this. However, that can run you between $30 to $65 for just half an hour of time. When you have neuropathy, however, the relief will eventually subside and the pain will gradually return. When you use a foot massager such as Lifepro’s AcuCare Foot Massager, you get the neuropathy-relieving benefits of a massage without the expensive cost. In fact, a foot massager can last years while only costing the equivalent of 2 to 3 massage sessions. When you consider how often you’ll use it at home, the value adds up significantly!How Long Should You Use A Foot Massager?
As with a traditional foot massage, you don’t want to use a foot massager for too long. The most you’ll want to use a foot massager is 20 to 30 minutes at a time, for no more than 3 sessions per day. A typical foot massager user will use it for 20-30 minutes for 4 sessions a week. Overuse or excessive force may have detrimental effects, so it is always best to keep your use within the recommended time frame. There is also the possibility that you may start getting used to a longer massage, which means it may take longer to have an impact. Simply put: Follow the instructions in your foot massager’s user manual. You can’t go wrong sticking to the recommended usage.
Final Thoughts
Neuropathy is a painful and often excruciating condition to suffer through, especially in the feet. Luckily, there are numerous relief methods available, and one of the most notable of these is a simple foot massager. Simply follow the instructions, place your feet on (or in) the massager, choose your settings, and you’re ready to go! Don’t forget to aim for no more than 20-30 minutes of use per session. All in all, there is no easier way to get neuropathic foot pain relief than with a foot massager. When you look at how little they cost compared to a regular foot massage, you’ll never want to pay a massage therapist again!Author
Joel Gottehrer is the Co-Founder of Lifepro Fitness and has dedicated his life to helping people transform theirs. With over 12 years of experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and owner of two personal training studios, Joel has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to helping transform lives. After suffering from physical injuries, Joel and his business partner, Abraham Brach, came together with a common goal to alleviate the pain caused by their injuries.
They continued to find themselves disappointed with the results stemming from various products promising to relieve their pain, and with that – Lifepro Fitness was born. Joel's mission is to have a positive impact on millions of lives with the Lifepro brand. Whether it's finding new and innovative ways to help people recover from injuries or developing products to improve overall wellness, Joel is always looking for ways to push the boundaries. Thanks to his commitment to help people live their lives free of pain, Lifepro has been able to do this for thousands of people since its founding in 2017.