Abstract
This study investigated whether diabetic neuropathy（abbreviated hereafter as DPN） impairs the accuracy of lower extremity joint positional sensation. Twelve diabetic patients (2 males and 10 females) aged 65 years or older who were undergoing continuous exercise therapy. Action potential amplitudes were measured using the DPN check in all patients to diagnose DPN. The joint position sense was measured in the knee joint of the non-dominant leg. The target angle (knee joint in 60°extension) was set, held for 5 seconds, and then the angle was reproduced. The reproduced angle and the deviation from the set angle were then calculated. In the group with DPN, both the reproduction angle and the deviation angle tended to show greater deviation from the set angle, but no statistically significant difference was observed. The results suggest that abnormal joint position sense is a symptom of DPN. Since the joint position sense may be used as a test for DPN in the future, it is necessary to investigate the relationship between the abnormal joint position sense and the duration of diabetes and the degree of impairment of the DPN.
