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Effects of exercise therapy on diabetic neuropathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Ignacio Hernando-Garijo1,2, Ricardo Medrano-de-la-Fuente1,2, María Teresa Mingo-Gómez1,2
1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Valladolid, Soria, Spain.
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of exercise therapy on neuropathic symptoms, signs, psychosocial aspects, and physical function in people with diabetic neuropathy (DN).
Methods:
A search in PubMed, Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence (PEDro), and Cochrane databases was performed from inception to Invalid Date NaN, . Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were selected in patients with DN comparing exercise therapy with a control group. The studies' methodological quality was assessed with the PEDro scale. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to assess the overall quality.
Results:
Eleven RCTs (n = 517 participants) were included. Nine studies showed high methodological quality. Mean (MD) and standardized mean differences (SMD) were observed in favor of exercise therapy for symptoms (MD = -1.05; confidence interval 95% = -1.90 to -0.20), signs (SMD = -0.66; confidence interval 95%= -1 to -0.32), and physical function (SMD = -0.45; confidence interval 95% = -0.66 to -0.24). No changes were found in psychosocial aspects (SMD = -0.37; confidence interval 95% = -0.92 to 0.18). The overall quality of evidence was very low.
Conclusion:
The quality of evidence suggesting that exercise therapy provides short-term benefits in neuropathic symptoms, signs, and physical function in patients with DN is very low. Furthermore, there were no effects found on psychosocial aspects.
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