NCT07260214

Effect of Hydrotherapy On Pain, Balance and Quality of Life in Patients With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 34 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Beni-Suef University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 40 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The current study aims to investigate the effects of hydrotherapy compared to land-based training on patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. It will evaluate hydrotherapy's impact on pain relief, sensation improvement, balance, and overall quality of life for these patients.

Detailed description

Hydrotherapy training is a rehabilitative approach proposed for different medical conditions, the hydrotherapy environment facilitates patients with functional limitations, who feel a safer setting and are consequently more motivated to the training. The physical properties of water help to improve patient stability and to allow limbs movements by offloading the body weight and Exerting resistance against the body segments and giving proprioceptive inputs. Moreover, the warmth of hydrotherapy pool helps muscle relaxation and seems to reduce pain perception, aiming to improve blood circulation so that nutrients can be distributed more smoothly to body tissues, strengthen small muscles, calves, and thighs, as well as address joint mobility limitations often experienced by diabetes mellitus patients. Several authors evaluated hydrotherapy therapy as possible gait and balance training of neurological patients and demonstrated beneficial effects mostly in Parkinson's disease and stroke. Limited number of studies, even if affected by small sample sizes, made a comparison between hydrotherapy training and on land training. Showing best balance results of the former for the same diseases.

Conditions

• Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Hydrotherapy training	The patients will participate in hydrotherapy sessions three days per week for 12 weeks in a heated swimming pool maintained at 32°C. Each session will include a sequence of activities: relaxation and breath control, balance exercises, gait training, and hydrotherapy cycling.
OTHER	Land training	The patients do the same exercise of the experimental group on land three days per week for 12 weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-01
• Primary completion: 2026-03-01
• Completion: 2026-03-01
• First posted: 2025-12-03
• Last updated: 2025-12-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Egypt