Effects of Lower Extremity Exercises on Ankle-Brachial Index Values among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is caused by more complications. One complication that often occurs is peripheral vascular disease. An early diagnostic to assess peripheral vascular disease is very important; measurement of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) is one of the non-invasive measures to assess the peripheral vascular disease risk in primary care and to identify the effect of lower extremity joint movement exercises on ABI values in Type 2 DM (T2DM) patients.AIM: The aimed to determine the effect of lower extremity on Ankle-Brachial Index Value among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients.METHODS: The method used was a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test group design without a control group. The sample was 35 T2DM patients using a consecutive sampling technique. The interventions given were lower extremity joint movement exercises which were performed actively once a day, with each movement ten repetitions and for 4 weeks of observation.RESULTS: There was a significant difference between pre and post the lower extremity joint movement intervention toward the value of the left limb ABI with mean pre 0.93 and post 1.02 (p = 0.00) and the value of the ABI in the right limb ABI with mean pre 0.92 and post 1.01 (p = 0.00) in patients suffering from DM under 10 years. There was a significant difference between pre and post the lower extremity joint movement intervention toward the value of the left limb ABI with mean pre 0.89 and post 1.98 (p = 0.00) and the value of the ABI in the right limb ABI with mean pre 0.88 and post 0.96 (p = 0.00) in patients suffering from DM over 10 years.CONCLUSION: Joint exercise can improve blood flow throughout the body, so it is important for T2DM patients to do regular joint exercise so that it is beneficial in improving health and preventing disability.