Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Aug. 5, 2004 -- Lower levels of physical activity rather than higher ones may increase the risk of foot ulcers in people with diabetes, according to a new study.
Researchers say it had been believed that physical activity increased the risk of diabetic foot ulcers by putting additional stress and pressure on ulcer-prone areas. But this study shows that large variations in activity levels rather than overall activity levels may be a more important factor.
"We were surprised to find that individuals developing ulcers were apparently less active than those who did not suffer ulceration," write researcher David Armstrong, DPM, PhD, of the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, and colleagues. "But the quality of that activity may be more variable."
In the study, researchers tracked activity levels among 100 people with diabetes who were at high risk of developing foot ulcers because of nerve damage to their feet. The study followed the group for a minimum of 25 weeks or until a foot ulcer developed.
Eight of the participants developed a foot ulcer during the study. Researchers found that the average daily activity level was significantly lower among those who ulcerated compared with those who did not.
The study also showed that there were large differences in the amount of activity variability between the two groups. In particular, those who developed diabetic foot ulcers had much greater variability in their physical activity levels in the two weeks preceding ulceration.
"In other words, the pattern of activity in individuals who ulcerated in the present study appeared to be characterized by periods of inactivity punctuated by relatively sudden pulses of activity taken over a short period of time," write the researchers in the August issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers say that advising people with diabetes to maintain a "healthy pattern of safe, consistent activity" could help balance the risks and benefits of physical activity among those at risk for developing foot ulcers.
Researchers say it had been believed that physical activity increased the risk of diabetic foot ulcers by putting additional stress and pressure on ulcer-prone areas. But this study shows that large variations in activity levels rather than overall activity levels may be a more important factor.
"We were surprised to find that individuals developing ulcers were apparently less active than those who did not suffer ulceration," write researcher David Armstrong, DPM, PhD, of the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, and colleagues. "But the quality of that activity may be more variable."
Activity Levels Linked to Foot Ulcers
In the study, researchers tracked activity levels among 100 people with diabetes who were at high risk of developing foot ulcers because of nerve damage to their feet. The study followed the group for a minimum of 25 weeks or until a foot ulcer developed.
Eight of the participants developed a foot ulcer during the study. Researchers found that the average daily activity level was significantly lower among those who ulcerated compared with those who did not.
The study also showed that there were large differences in the amount of activity variability between the two groups. In particular, those who developed diabetic foot ulcers had much greater variability in their physical activity levels in the two weeks preceding ulceration.
"In other words, the pattern of activity in individuals who ulcerated in the present study appeared to be characterized by periods of inactivity punctuated by relatively sudden pulses of activity taken over a short period of time," write the researchers in the August issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers say that advising people with diabetes to maintain a "healthy pattern of safe, consistent activity" could help balance the risks and benefits of physical activity among those at risk for developing foot ulcers.
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