TITLE:
Effect of Exercise with Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Muscle Coordination and Gait Stability in Patients with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
AUTHORS:
Keisuke Suzuki, Masaya Niitsu, Tomohiko Kamo, Satoshi Otake, Yusuke Nishida
KEYWORDS:
Co-Contraction, Root Mean Square, Muscle Activity, Gait Stability, Auditory Cue
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.7 No.3,
June
5,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) changes leg muscle coordination
during walking and reduces stability. The aim of this study was to determine
whether rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) affected the gait performance of
patients with DPN. Methods: Forty DPN patients (mean age, 59.1 ± 9.4 y)
were randomly allocated to RAS and control groups in equal numbers. The
participants in each group underwent 2 weeks of
supervised rehabilitative treatment (40 min/day) as inpatients. This included
walking twice a day, during which the RAS group participants walked in time
with a metronome set at a self-chosen, comfortable rate.
We compared gait function, lower limb muscle
co-contraction, and gait stability before and after the intervention for both
groups, calculated the change in score for each parameter, and assessed
differences between the groups with unpaired t-tests and ANCOVA. Results: RAS was associated with significant improvement in all parameters. In the
control group, there was no improvement in cadence, co-contraction, or gait
stability (vertical). Compared with the control group, the RAS group showed
improvement in co-contraction and gait stability. Conclusion: RAS may be
helpful for improving the lower limb muscle coordination and gait function of
DPN patients.