Local plantar vibration for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy: a case report

• Published in: Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 2115 - 2119
• Main Authors: Sabziparvar, Mahsa, Naghdi, Soofia, Ansari, Noureddin Nakhostin, Fateh, Hamid R., Nakhostin-Ansari, Amin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2021; BioMed Central Ltd
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Case Report; Diabetes; Diabetic neuropathies; Endocrinology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Pain; Skin care products; Type 2 diabetes; Sensation; Pain; Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Local vibration; Balance
• ISSN: 2251-6581; 2251-6581
• DOI: 10.1007/s40200-021-00860-w

Purpose One of the most common and debilitating complications of diabetes is peripheral neuropathy. Physical modalities such as whole-body vibration are used to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), but there are limted studies on the effectiveness of local vibration for the treatment of PDN. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of local vibration in treating a patient with DPN. Methods The local vibration was applied on the plantar side of both feet. The patient received 10 min of local vibration with 62.5 Hz frequency for five sessions. We used brief BESTest for balance evaluation, Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain assessment, monofilament examination score for protective sensation evaluation, vibration threshold, and skin temperature to evaluate the effects of local vibration, which were measured before the treatment, after one session  of treatment, and after 5th session of treatment. Results There was a 62.5% reduction in pain severity after five sessions of treatment. Vibration threshold of both patient’s feet and protective sensation of right foot returned to normal after treatment. Skin temperature was increased in all evaluated points of both patient’s feet, brief BESTest score increased by six points after five treatment sessions, indicating improvements in the blood flow of feet and balance, respectively. Conclusions Local plantar vibration was effective in improving the symptoms of DPN.