ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the strength of the intrinsic foot muscles in diabetic patients with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy, compared to healthy controls. Methods: a prospective experimental study was conducted with 63 patients divided into three groups: diabetics with peripheral neuropathy (20), diabetics without neuropathy (23), and healthy controls (20). Muscle strength was measured using a digital handheld dynamometer, assessing plantar flexion of the hallux and toes in two positions (neutral and maximum plantar flexion). Statistical analyses were performed using R software, with α=0.05 and β=0.2. Results: the groups had a mean age of 66 years. Variables with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) included Right Hallux – Neutral Position, All Toes (Right) – Neutral Position, All Toes (Right) – Plantar Flexion, and Left Toes – Plantar Flexion. Diabetic patients with neuropathy showed lower medians and interquartile ranges in these variables, indicating reduced muscle strength compared to controls. Conclusions: this study explored the strength of the intrinsic foot muscles in diabetic patients, using dynamometry as an assessment tool. Although no conclusive evidence was found, it is suggested that dynamometry may be useful in the early detection of muscle weakness in diabetic neuropathy. Expanding the study with a larger sample and more data is necessary to validate and refine the preliminary conclusions, contributing to the monitoring of muscle deterioration and the effectiveness of treatments. Level of Evidence II; Prospectived comparative studye.
Oliveira et al. (Thu,) studied this question.