The effects of combined physical procedures on the functional status of patients with diabetic polyneuropathy

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic polyneuropathy is a common chronic complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to determine the importance of applied physical procedures on the functional status in diabetic polyneuropathy patients in comparison to the group of respondents with the applied alpha-lipoic acid. Materials and Methods: 60 subjects were divided into two groups: group A - diabetic polyneuropathy patient?s treatment with physical procedures; and group B - diabetic polyneuropathy patient?s treatment with alpha-lipoic acid. The study protocol implied that the study has lasted for three diagnostic and therapeutic cycles, each lasting for 16 days with the time between cycles of 6 weeks. Results: Manual muscle test, range of motion, Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument and Berg balance scale values showed statistically significant improvement at the end of testing the group A respondents, while in the group B respondents there was not any improvement shown. Conclusions: The application of the combined physical procedures shows clear benefit for improvement of muscle strength and mobility of the ankle joint in respondents with diabetic polyneuropathy.