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Postural stability in diabetic polyneuropathy
P Boucher1, N Teasdale, R Courtemanche
1Laboratoire de Performance Motrice Humaine, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada.
Objective:
To examine whether sensory changes in lower limbs associated with diabetic sensory polyneuropathy compromise postural stability in different visual sensory conditions.
Research Design And Methods:
The presence and severity of sensory neuropathy was evaluated with a clinical scale and measures of nerve conduction velocity in the lower limbs. Balance control was evaluated by testing subjects' postural stability (with a force platform) with vision, without vision, and during a recovery period after being without vision.
Results:
Neuropathic patients showed larger ranges of sway, a faster sway speed, and a greater dispersion of sway than control subjects in all conditions. They also exhibited similar or less stable postural performance with vision than that of control subjects without vision. There was a strong relationship between the severity of the neuropathy and the postural stability.
Conclusions:
This experiment highlights that even with vision, the postural stability of neuropathic patients is impaired and may put them at higher risk of falling when performing more challenging daily tasks.