EXERCISES can often make symptoms manageable by:
Four Exercises you can do:
Acupressure point: Press with index finger or knuckle in the groove between your nose and upper lip. Hold for one minute while breathing deeply.
- doing exercises (walking...) each day,
- avoiding caffeine,
- or having a quick five minutes on an exercise bike
- or a hot shower before bedtime.
- Deep muscle massage can help relieve but not recommended if you have Parkinson's disease as the deep muscles do not recover quickly and can lead to deep bruising.
- A five minute stretching workout in the morning can help wonders.
- Wearing support stockings may help to alleviate symptoms of venous insufficiency. Not the store bought ones; have an Occupational Therapist assess and prescribe correctly fitting support stockings.
- Blood vessels and nerves can be trapped in hardened muscles causing localized inflow of arterial blood.
- While sitting, press with thumbs or squeeze the centre of the base of your calf muscles. Hold for one minute.
Four Exercises you can do:
- Lie on the floor or your bed on your back. Lift both legs upward to a 90 degree position, keeping knees straight. Put your hands on the inside of your thighs and push your legs outward. Hold for 30 secs, then move hands to outside of thighs and push legs back together. Repeat 8 times.
- Sit on the floor, your back against the wall. Put a loop of a towel around your foot’s arch, using this to lift your leg upward, keeping your knee straight. This stretched the back of your leg muscles. Then gently lower to the floor. Repeat 15 times.
- Stand near a wall, and lean against it with your arms straight, hands flat on the wall. Gradually work your feet backward until you can feel the tendons stretching and straining in the back of your leg and ankle. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Hold for 20 secs, and relax and shake your legs. Repeat 5 times.
- Lie on your back on the floor or your bed, lift your knees up and put them together. With your hands, push your knees from side to side without using your leg muscles. This helps move the outer and inner thigh muscles. Repeat 10 times.
Acupressure point: Press with index finger or knuckle in the groove between your nose and upper lip. Hold for one minute while breathing deeply.