Posted , 4 users are following.
hi,
I've been advised to apply hot and then cold to my affected foot to get it used to normal stimuli.
Does anyone know how to do this?
I've been using a warm hot water bottle and then a chilled flannel.
But i'm not sure how long to apply each one for!!.??
0 likes, 5 replies
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rachel30085 louise49612
Posted
i have not heard of this before, in fact i was told not to put cold on my affected leg because the cold is too much for the nerves and will irritate them way too much.
I started by using a soap in the shower that has some texture to it. (oatmeal, flowers)
once i was "ok" with that, i graduated to a washcloth, the lotion after the shower these are normal activities- its something you do probably without thinking about them.
louise49612 rachel30085
Posted
thanks Rachel,
i am trying to desensitise the nerve as Lisavila has mentioned below.
my understanding is that in CRPS the nerves are not behaving normally, therefore to encourage them to behave properly we have to expose them to as much normal stimuli as possible. i.e. hot then cold, different textures.
But i guess this is different in individual cases. I had to go easy with walking for a few days initially as my physio said the nerve needed to rest, because i had developed a bad limp, ....but since then i've been able to work at desensitising.
lisavila louise49612
Posted
Hi Louise - there are several ways to desensitize your foot. I've used a bucket of cold water and a bucket of warm water (whatever heat you can handle). Immerse foot in one bucket for one minute, then the other for another minute, and so on... I would do this 2 times/day. With time try to increase the duration of immersion.Another way to desensitize foot is to rub foot different textures - start with one fabric that is soft and then increase to rougher textures as time goes on. You can also go on youtube to learn more about this and other methods of desensitization. I hope this is helpful to you!
louise49612 lisavila
Posted
ah! The water bucket immersion is a good idea.
thankyou 😃
rheannon louise49612
Posted
10 mins on 10 mins off then 10 mins on
alternate, also a nice hot shower helps!