Every Step Counts: idleness can enhance diabetes consequences yet
Study of sports medicine at the University of Münster showed: Patients with peripheral neuropathy move far too little
Affected describe it as tingling, pricking, or numbness in the feet. From peripheral neuropathy between ten and 20 percent of all diabetics are affected. The cause: The permanently increased blood sugar levels the sensation nerves are damaged. Movement is known to be an ideal means to reduce glucose in the blood. "But the more severe their symptoms, the more inactive the patients," laments Prof. Dr. Klaus peoples, Director of the Institute for Sports Medicine at the University of Münster. His finding is based on a recently completed at the Institute study.
In collaboration with a diabetological practice, the scientists carried out a study with a total of 73 test persons. Half of them suffered from a more or less severe peripheral diabetic neuropathy. The severity of the disease was measured using a standardized test: the scientists use various, increasingly thin nylon threads to apply pressure to certain points on the foot until the rigid thread bends. Depending on which thread size the patient can still feel, it can be determined whether the disease is mild, moderate or already severe.
A force plate was used as a further diagnostic instrument. While the patient is standing on it, his fluctuations in movement are recorded. “Severe neuropathy also affects the sense of balance. This increases the risk of falling, ”warns the sports doctor. Then all participants received a pedometer, which was used to measure their daily activity for a week.
The result: “The patients with severe neuropathy were completely inactive for almost two thirds of the day. The rest of the time we only measured slight activity, ”reports Prof. Völker. “Those affected sit too much. It is not about top sporting performance, but first and foremost about making use of the exercise offers that everyday life offers. ”So: go for a walk more often and leave the elevator behind. The expert emphasizes that the 5.000 steps measured a day are not enough.
It should definitely be between 7.500 and 10.000.
Völker also recommends walking or swimming in a group for diabetics, but moderate strength training is also okay. Since diabetes is associated with an increased risk to the cardiovascular system, patients should under no circumstances start training without a prior medical examination and advice. “Sensorimotor skills are also trained in special diabetes sports groups. Exercises to feel different surfaces serve to train the sense of balance. This reduces the risk of falling, ”says the sports doctor. In Münster, associations such as the “Association for Health Sports and Sports Therapy” offer special sports courses for diabetics; The Stadtsportbund can also provide information.
Source: Münster [Westphalian Wilhelms University]
