2011 Volume 23 Issue 3 Pages 515-518
[Purpose] This study was performed to investigate the effect of microcurrent electrical stimulation on the foot blood circulation and the degree of pain experienced by diabetes patients. [Subjects] Twenty nine patients with diabetic neuropathy over the age of 60 were randomly divided into an experimental(16 patients, 67.9 ± 8.0 years) and a control group(13 patients, 70.4 ± 4.4 years). [Methods] Both groups walked on a treadmill at a comfortable pace for 50 min/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks, and each participant's body weight, body composition, and blood lipid were examined at the baseline and 4 weeks later. [Results] The results show that the foot blood flow rate increment after the intervention was significantly different between the experimental group and the control group, and the VAS was also significantly different. [Conclusion] Based on the results of this study, we consider that microcurrent electric stimulation of the foot may be helpful for preventing the pain and diabetic ulcers by increasing the foot blood circulation in diabetes patients.