16 Apr Another Option for Cancer Survivors Who Struggle With Neuropathy
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You fight through the appointments, the scans, the treatments, and then—when it’s supposed to be over—your body still feels off. For many cancer survivors, especially those who went through chemotherapy, neuropathy doesn’t just fade away. Sometimes it lingers, sometimes it gets worse, and sometimes it shows up in ways that completely change how you move. If you’re dealing with drop foot or numbness, burning, or pain in your feet, you’re not imagining it. You’re not alone. And while it’s incredibly frustrating, there are real things that can help.
Understanding What’s Happening To Your Feet
Post-cancer neuropathy isn’t just annoying—it can be debilitating. It usually starts because certain chemo drugs damage the nerves, especially in your hands and feet. This damage can mess with how your muscles and nerves talk to each other. So when your brain says “lift your foot,” your body doesn’t always get the message right.
Drop foot is one of the more obvious results of that disconnect. It feels like your foot is dragging or slapping the ground when you walk. You might start tripping more, feel unsteady, or start avoiding certain shoes altogether. For others, the issue isn’t how the foot moves but how it feels—like walking on pins and needles, or not feeling it at all. Both are forms of neuropathy, and both can stick around long after treatment ends.
The tricky part is that this isn’t something you can just walk off. It’s not about needing to stretch more or push harder. These symptoms come from actual nerve damage, which doesn’t always heal quickly—or fully.
How Physical Therapy Changes The Game
That said, the body can be incredibly adaptable. If nerves are slow to recover (or don’t recover at all), the rest of the body sometimes steps in to help. That’s where physical therapy makes a real difference. Not the old-school kind where someone counts your reps and hands you a resistance band—real neuro-focused therapy that’s built for survivors.
Working with a physical therapist who understands post-chemo neuropathy means targeting the right muscles, using balance retraining techniques, and sometimes even retraining your brain to trust your limbs again. It’s about getting your gait back, not just stretching your calves.
In some cases, you’ll work with braces or orthotics designed to support the muscles that aren’t pulling their weight. These don’t “fix” the problem, but they give your body a break and reduce the risk of falls. Walking differently can also throw off your hips, knees, and back, so this kind of support prevents other issues from creeping in. It’s not just about improving mobility—it’s also about relieving neuropathy pain that snowballs when you’re overcompensating.
Still, therapy is just one piece of the puzzle. And not everyone wants to (or can) spend months in appointments hoping for small gains. That’s where other strategies come in.
Cannabinoids May Play a Role
A lot of people living with post-treatment neuropathy reach a point where medications either stop working or come with side effects that aren’t worth it. It makes sense, then, that attention has turned toward other to manage symptoms—especially pain and nerve sensitivity.
That’s where cannabinoids may help, particularly when looking at CBD vs CBC. While CBD has gotten the spotlight in recent years for its anti-inflammatory effects and general calming properties, CBC—cannabichromene—is slowly emerging as a nerve-calmer in the conversation. It doesn’t get you high, and it doesn’t come with the fog that many prescription options bring. But what makes it different is how it seems to interact with inflammation and nerve signaling directly.
Unlike CBD, CBC may also help promote nerve regeneration in damaged tissues. That doesn’t mean it’s a miracle fix, but for survivors dealing with lingering foot pain, pins and needles, or hypersensitivity, it opens up a new conversation. The experience of using these compounds is different for everyone, but it’s clear that many feel a sense of agency again—managing symptoms on their terms, not just reacting to them. It’s not about ditching medical care—it’s about reclaiming comfort without more pills.
Why Your Shoes Might Be Making Everything Worse
Foot neuropathy turns even the comfiest shoes into enemies. Most of us reach for sneakers when our feet hurt, but not all sneakers work for neuropathy. Shoes that squeeze your toes, rub your heels, or don’t give support in the right places can make walking miserable—and worse, they can make your symptoms worse.
Drop foot especially requires footwear that keeps your toes from catching. Some survivors switch to high-top shoes or those with more rigid soles to help guide their foot during a step. Others find relief in rocker-bottom shoes, which help roll the foot forward even when it’s not moving well on its own.
But shoe choice is also personal. Some people need soft cushioning, others need firm support. The trick is to listen to your feet, not the trend. If you’re stepping out of a shoe and your toes are tingling more than before, it’s probably not the right fit. A good podiatrist can help, but sometimes trial and error is required.
Also: socks matter more than you think. Seamless, breathable socks can make a bigger difference than people realize, especially if your skin feels overly sensitive or numb.
What People Don’t Talk About Enough
There’s something no one really warns you about when it comes to neuropathy after cancer: how lonely it can feel. Everyone’s relieved you’re “better,” but you’re stuck dealing with a body that doesn’t quite work right anymore. The stairs look different. Even walking across a parking lot feels like a challenge some days.
Some people hide it. Some try to joke about it. But there’s grief involved too—grief for how things used to be, or what your body could do before. That emotional toll matters just as much as the physical side. Neuropathy doesn’t just change your stride—it can shake your sense of identity. Therapy (the mental kind) might be just as necessary as physical therapy, especially if you’ve been pushing through alone.
You’re not lazy. You’re not crazy. Your nervous system took a hit, and it’s okay to say it out loud.
Final Thoughts
Foot neuropathy after cancer isn’t just a side effect. It’s a whole experience, one that messes with how you move, how you feel, and how you function. But there are ways to manage it—some rooted in rehab, some in nature, and some in finally saying, “I need something that actually works.” You’ve been through enough already. Now it’s time to walk forward, even if it looks a little different than before.
Remember to discuss your potential or actual use of any CBD/CBC products with your health care provider.
More information:
- PainRelief.com
- Sepulveda DE, Vrana KE, Kellogg JJ, Bisanz JE, Desai D, Graziane NM, Raup-Konsavage WM. The Potential of Cannabichromene (CBC) as a Therapeutic Agent. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2024 Oct 18;391(2):206-213. doi: 10.1124/jpet.124.002166.
PMID: 38777605; PMCID: PMC11493452.
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Last Updated on April 16, 2025 by Marie Benz MD FAAD
