Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Physiotherapy
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes, caused by nerve damage associated with long-term high blood sugar levels. It most commonly affects the feet and legs and can have a significant impact on movement, balance and everyday activities.
What does DPN feel like?
DPN can present differently from person to person. Common symptoms include:
Numbness or reduced sensation in the feet
Tingling or “pins and needles”
Burning or nerve pain
Difficulty feeling touch, temperature or vibration
Muscle weakness
Reduced balance and coordination
When sensation in the feet and legs is reduced, it can become harder to know where your feet are positioned or to respond to changes in the ground beneath you. Combined with muscle weakness and reduced coordination, this can affect walking and increase the risk of losing balance and falling.
How can physiotherapy help?
Physiotherapy can play an important role in helping people with DPN maintain strength, balance, mobility and independence.
A physiotherapist can assess sensation, balance, strength, coordination and walking ability before developing an exercise and rehabilitation program tailored to your individual needs.
Balance training and falls risk reduction
Balance is particularly important for people with DPN. Reduced sensation in the feet can limit the information your brain receives about your position and surroundings. This can make everyday activities such as walking, turning, using stairs or getting up from a chair more challenging.
Physiotherapy can use balance and functional exercises to challenge these systems in a safe and progressive way. Training may focus on improving stability, lower-limb strength, coordination and confidence with movement.
Physiotherapists can also help identify factors that may increase your risk of falling and provide strategies to make everyday movement safer. This may include gait training, falls prevention strategies, appropriate use of mobility aids and advice around safe footwear and foot protection.
The aim isn't simply to improve balance in the clinic — it is to help you feel safer and more confident performing the activities that matter to you in everyday life.
Research has highlighted that people with DPN commonly experience muscle weakness, pain, balance problems and reduced lower-limb function, with exercise therapy identified as an effective physiotherapy approach for addressing these difficulties.
How can PHYSIO EXPRESS help?
At Physio Express, our physiotherapists understand the challenges that diabetic peripheral neuropathy can create. We can assess how DPN is affecting your movement, balance and function, and work with you to develop a personalised rehabilitation program.
Our goal is to help you move safely, improve your strength and balance, reduce your risk of falls and maintain your independence.
Reference:
Jahantigh Akbari, N., Hosseinifar, M., Naimi, S.S. et al. The efficacy of physiotherapy interventions in mitigating the symptoms and complications of diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A systematic review. J Diabetes Metab Disord 19, 1995–2004 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-020-00652-8