Effects of a 12-week strength training on hand function of type ii diabetes mellitus patients

Study aim: The purpose of this study was to establish the effects of a 12-week strength training(ST) programme on hand function in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in a tertiaryhealth institution in Benin-City. The findings of this study would help clinicians/clinical staff totake ST into consideration in the management of patients with T2DM thereby enhancing clinicaloutcome.Material and methods: This study was a pre-test, post-test control group design. A total of 36T2DM patients participated in the study. Handgrip and pinch strength were measured usingelectronic hand dynamometer (in kg) and mechanical pinch gauge (in kg) respectively prior toand following a 12-week ST programme. The amount of handgrip and pinch strength of bothhands generated by each participant was used as a quantitative measurement of the developmentof hand function. Data generated were analyzed using inferential statistics of one way analysisof variance (ANOVA) and the statistical significance was accepted for p value of <0.05.Results: The findings of the study showed that ST programme had significant effects on handfunction of T2DM patients.Conclusion: It was concluded that ST programme can substantially enhance hand function ofpatients with T2DM. Therefore, ST programme should be considered a key element in themanagement of T2DM patients.