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Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, impacts a substantial proportion of patients.
Structured biodex balance training demonstrates clinically meaningful improvements in stability, mobility, and neuropathic nerve function in DPN management.
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, impacts a substantial proportion of patients. It leads to progressive sensory-motor dysfunction, impaired postural control, gait instability, and an elevated risk of falls, ultimately compromising functional independence and quality of life.
Soliman and colleagues investigated the therapeutic impact of biodex balance exercise system (BBS) training on clinical outcomes, postural balance, gait performance, and peripheral nerve conduction parameters in patients with DPN, further exploring differences between working and non-working populations.
This randomized controlled trial enrolled 50 patients with DPN (18–65 years) from a tertiary rehabilitation setting, randomly allocating them to an intervention group (IG; n=25) or control group (CG; n=25). Baseline evaluations included a detailed clinical assessment, nerve conduction studies, the douleur neuropathique 4 (DN4) questionnaire, biodex stability testing, the berg balance scale, a 10-meter walk test, and the timed up and go test.The IG received supervised BBS training twice weekly for 8 weeks, while the CG continued standard care, with all parameters reassessed post-intervention to determine therapeutic efficacy.
Initial analysis confirmed comparable baseline characteristics between groups, with no vital differences in demographics, clinical status, balance, gait, or nerve conduction measures. Post-intervention, the IS group experienced remarkable improvements in clinical outcomes, postural stability, gait performance, and selected nerve conduction parameters, while nerve amplitudes remained unchanged.
In working patients, BBS training enhanced symptom scores, balance, gait, and key nerve conduction indices. In non-working patients, improvements were primarily noted in postural stability, timed up and go performance, and select nerve conduction measures, with minimal changes in other parameters.
The BBS training demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in postural control, functional mobility, and select nerve conduction parameters in patients with DPN, while nerve amplitudes remained largely unchanged. These findings support the role of structured, computer-assisted balance training as an effective adjunct in the multidisciplinary management of DPN, particularly for enhancing stability and mitigating functional impairment.
The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery
The impact of biodex balance exercise system (BBS) on clinical outcomes, balance and neural function in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy
Wafaa Soliman et al.
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