Effects of Low-Impact Strengthening Exercises on Limb Pain and Strength in Diabetic Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease

Abstract

Background: Diabetic nephropathy becomes a disease with a high mortality rate in this modern era of technology. Dialysis in diabetic patients affects kidney functioning is the most common treatment for end-stage renal failure but had different musculoskeletal complications due to bone mineral metabolisms like muscular cramping, atrophy and muscular weakness, restless leg syndrome and limb pain that lowers the quality of life and physical function. Objective: To evaluate the effects of low-impact strengthening exercises on limb pain, strength, glycemic control, hypertension and quality of life of patients with end-stage renal disease. Methods: The randomized controlled study was designed to check the effectiveness of low-impact strengthening exercises on patients involved in the treatment and control group. Using non-probability purposive sampling, data was collected from different hospitals in Faisalabad by providing treatment for six consecutive weeks. Outcomes of measures were pain, strength, glucose level, blood pressure and quality of life which were estimated through the numeric pain rating scale, manual muscle testing, glucometer, sphygmomanometer and kidney disease quality of life questionnaire respectively. Results: Low-impact strengthening exercises in the treatment group showed improvement in muscle strength, blood pressure, glycemic level, pain and quality of life in diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease as compared to the control group. Mean values showed that there was a statistically significant difference in different variables between both groups. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is a statistically significant difference between both groups in the improvement of limb pain and limb muscle strength by low-impact strengthening exercises. These exercises have positive effects on diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease in the treatment group as compared to the control group.