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Review

Effectiveness of Exercise Therapy on Gait Function in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon &
Pages 2753-2764 | Published online: 05 Aug 2020
 

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to review the current evidence on the effectiveness of exercise therapy on gait function in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. A comprehensive search of literature published between October 2010 and May 2020 was conducted using the following electronic databases; PubMed, AMED, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, PEDro and Google Scholar. Randomized control trials conducted to determine the effectiveness of exercise therapy on gait function in patients with diabetic neuropathy were included in this review. Non-English language published papers were excluded. This review was done in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment of the studies were carried out independently by two authors. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the PEDro scale and GRADE approach. The overall methodological quality of studies rated from moderate to high. Meta-analysis was not carried out due to the heterogeneity of included trials. The primary outcome measures of gait functions were the six-minute walk test, 10-meter walk test and Tinetti scale. Nine randomized controlled trials with 370 participants were analyzed. Out of them, eight studies proved its effectiveness on gait function on individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The finding of this study suggested that multi-component exercise therapy consisted of strength, ROM exercise, balance, flexibility and stretching exercises, circuit exercise training, and gait training found to enhance gait function for individuals suffering with diabetic peripheral neuropathy compared to control groups.

Ethical Approval

Ethical approval or patient consent was not required, since the present study was a review of previously published literature.

Author Contributions

All authors’ have contributed to the work reported, in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, drafted or written, or substantially revised or critically reviewed the article, agreed on the journal to which the article was submitted, reviewed and agreed on all versions of the article before submission, during revision. Finally, in any significant changes introduced at the proofing stage, the authors agree to take responsibility and be accountable for the contents of the article.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

There was no provided financial support to conduct this review.