Gait and Balance of Diabetes Type 2 Patients

January 13, 2010 updated by: University Hospital, Geneva

Efficacy of a Specific Physiotherapy Group Treatment on Gait and Balance in Patients With Diabetic Neuropathy

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing public health problems in both developed and developing countries. It is estimated that the number of people with diabetes in the world will double in coming years, from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030.The role of physiotherapy in diabetic care is to reduce immobilisation effects, to maintain functional capacity and to minimise diabetes-related complications. The physiotherapist also has a role in providing advice about exercise and daily living activities. The fundamental principle of rehabilitation is to improve quality of life while diminishing the health care burden. By reducing the heightened risk of falling, the fall related injuries and the fear of falling one could improve quality of life in diabetic patients and reduce health care costs.

The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of gait and balance training in pre frail subgroup diabetes patients. Our program is based on recommendations of Robertson et al.(2002) and Page et al.(2002) The investigators randomly assign patients in a control group (no treatment) or in a treatment group. The treatment program consists of two group sessions per week over 12 weeks. Patients were encouraged to perform specific home exercises. After this 12-week program, patients were asked to continue their exercises. The effect of the treatment will be evaluated after the treatment program and after a 6-month follow up.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

71

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
      • Geneva, Switzerland, 1205
        • University Hospital of Geneva

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Past or present patient from the University Hospital in Geneva
  • Diagnosed with diabetes by the medical doctor (glycaemia > 7 mmol on two different tests on an empty stomach)
  • Presence of a peripheral neuropathy (vibration perception ≤ 4)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with a foot ulcer at the moment of intake
  • Patients with orthopaedic or chirurgical problems influencing gait parameters
  • Patients with a non diabetic neuropathy (Charcot, alcohol, Thyroid dysfunction)
  • Patients with neurological problems influencing gait parameters
  • Patients with incapacity to walk without a walking aid

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: A,1
Physiotherapy
Other: Physiotherapy
Gait and Balance training based on recommendations of Robertson et al. and Page et al. (different balance control exercises; progression in consecutive stages: Sensimotor training, a static phase, a dynamic phase combined with functional tasks. The treatment takes place twice a week over 12 weeks. Patients were encouraged to perform specific home exercises.
Other Names:
  • Physical Therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Gait parameter: comfortable speed
Time Frame: Before treatment / After treatment / 6 month follow up
Before treatment / After treatment / 6 month follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Other spatio temporal gait parameters and sagittal movement of lower limb
Time Frame: Before Treatment/ After Treatment/ 6 month follow up
Before Treatment/ After Treatment/ 6 month follow up
Balance measures (Tinetti and Biodex balance Index, acceleration on sacrum)
Time Frame: Before Treatment / After Treatment / 6 month follow up
Before Treatment / After Treatment / 6 month follow up
Fear of falling (Falls efficacy scale)
Time Frame: Before Treatment / After Treatment / 6 month follow up
Before Treatment / After Treatment / 6 month follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University Hospital, Geneva

Collaborators

Maastricht University Medical Center
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Lara E Allet, MPtSc, University Hospital and University Geneva

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2008

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 11, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 11, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

March 18, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 14, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 13, 2010

Last Verified

March 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 06-305

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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