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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Aging
Sec. Interventions in Aging
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1507232
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Physical Activity in Healthy Aging: Mechanisms and InterventionsView all 9 articles
Exploring the Exercise for Enhancing Postural Control, Gait, and Muscle Strength in Older Adults with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted- 1Beijing Sport University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 2Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- 3Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 4Dalian University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
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The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of exercise on postural control, gait, and muscle strength in older adults with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Research Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: An extensive literature search was performed in PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science and Cochrane Library from database inception to September 30 th , 2023. The inclusion criteria were exercise intervention on postural control, gait characteristics, and muscle strength in older adults with DPN. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the quality of studies by Cochrane Risk of Bias.The literature search elicited a total of 523 references, 23 articles were included in this systematic review and meta-analyses. Exercise could effectively decrease the Centre of Pressure (COP) path (SMD=-0.38, 95%CI=-0.77 ~0.01), increase gait speed (MD=0.08, 95%CI= 0.05~0.11), but did not change stride length (MD=0.04, 95%CI= -0.01~0.09), and enhance muscle strength (SMD=0.76, 95%CI=0.19~1.33). Conclusions: Exercise improves postural control, gait speed, and muscle strength in older adults with DPN, reducing fall risk and enhancing lower limb strength, though evidence on stride length improvement is limited.
Keywords: diabetic peripheral neuropathy1, Gait Characteristics2, Muscle strength3, postural control4, fall prevention5
Received: 07 Oct 2024; Accepted: 16 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, PANG, Zhang, Liu and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: XiangSheng PANG, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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