Journal of

Introduction: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, due to involvement of the peripheral nerves, causes muscle weakness and loss of balance in the lower extremities. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of resistance exercise on balance and  muscle strength of lower extremities in women with diabetes who suffered from peripheral neuropathy.

Methods: The study population consisted of 700 diabetic patients, referring to diabetes clinic in Mashhad, Iran, out of which  20 neuropathic diabetic patients were  selected and nonrandomly divided into one treatment group(n=10) and one control (n = 10) group. Static and dynamic balance were measured by the Biodex Balance and strength of the quadriceps muscles and twins were measured by the dynamometer before and after the intervention. Resistance exercise were performed three times a week for two months which, each session lasted an hour with intensity of 30 - 50% 1RM (first meeting was held with 10 repetitions and then, it was increased to 15 repetitions). SPSS statistical analysis software was applied using t-test in order to statiscally analyze the study data and the significance level was set at p &le0/05.

Results: Static and dynamic balance as well as quadriceps muscle strength increased significantly in the experimental group. While the twin muscles in the control group showed a significant change (0/05&gep), no significant difference was observed in the other variables (0/05

Conclusion: The study findings revealed that eight weeks of resistance exercise in diabetic women (suffering from peripheral neuropathy) increases muscle strength and balance.