Research conducted by Noel Rao, MD, and Alexander Aruin, PhD, at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, Illinois, has shown that the use of a simple ankle-foot brace can significantly improve balance control in individuals with diabetic neuropathy. According to a Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital press release, this is of special concern because of the impact that a loss of sensation at the feet has in terms of disability and health. It has been documented that because of the balance deficit, people with diabetic neuropathy, and the elderly who have similar symptoms due to advanced age, show an increased risk incidence of falls.
“Our goal for this study was to determine how postural responses could be improved with sensory cues, which would lead to a reduced risk of falling,” said Rao, vice president of medical affairs for Marianjoy. “We wanted to know if, using a simple device such as an ankle-foot brace, individuals with peripheral neuropathy could respond faster and in greater capacity to sudden movements of the surface on which they stand.”
“The results of the study are quite promising,” explained Aruin, professor of physical therapy and bioengineering at University of Illinois-Chicago and director of Marianjoy’s Motion Analysis Laboratory. “The outcome represents the first steps toward assessing the clinical significance of using auxiliary sensory cues to improve balance control in individuals with sensory deficits. Plus, it also lays a research foundation for developing therapeutic means that might help decrease the risk of falling in these individuals.”
The research and findings will be published in an upcoming edition of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.
