scholarly journals The effect of exercise therapy combined with psychological therapy on physical activity and quality of life in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte C.M. van Laake-Geelen ◽  
Rob J.E.M. Smeets ◽  
Suzan P.A.B. Quadflieg ◽  
Jos Kleijnen ◽  
Jeanine A. Verbunt

Abstract Background and aims Approximately 25% of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMII) develop painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). PDN is known to affect both mental and physical wellbeing, resulting in anxiety, depression, low quality of life and physical disability. Pharmacological treatment of PDN aims at pain relief and is often ineffective and/or has many side effects. Rehabilitation treatment modalities that are designed to help the patient deal with PDN related complaints, are mostly focussed on either physical (e.g. exercise therapy) or psychological aspects (e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT). There is emerging evidence that PDN can be approached from a biopsychosocial perspective, in which physical and psychosocial aspects are integrated. From this biopsychosocial approach it is plausible that integrated treatment modalities such as acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) or exposure in vivo (EXP) could be effective in patients with PDN. The objective of this review was to provide an overview of the current evidence on the effects of rehabilitation treatments that combine exercise therapies with psychological therapies in order to improve physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with PDN. Methods Systematic review of the current literature. EMBASE, MEDLINE, Medline In-Process citations and e-Pubs ahead-of-print, Pedro, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched. All studies on interventions combining exercise therapy with psychological interventions in patients with PDN, aged >18 years, were included. Outcome measures were PA, QoL. Results The search resulted in 1603 records after removing duplicates. After screening on titles and abstracts, 100 records remained. From these, not one study reported on interventions that combined exercise therapy with psychological interventions. Through a secondary hand search, a total of three reviews were identified that described a total of five studies regarding either physical or psychological interventions in patients with PDN. These studies reported moderate effects of (1) mindfulness meditation on QoL, (2) CBT on pain severity, (3) mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on function, health-related QoL, pain catastrophizing and depression, (4) aerobic exercise on QoL and (5) Tai Chi on glucose control, balance, neuropathic symptoms, and some dimensions of QoL in patients with PDN. All studies were of a moderate quality, and results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions Based on increasing knowledge in the domain of chronic pain, it could be assumed that integrated rehabilitation treatments for patients with PDN are beneficial. There is no literature to support this and more research should be done on integrated biopsychosocial interventions in patients with PDN. Implications This empty review highlights the importance that more research should be done on integrated biopsychosocial interventions in patients with PDN. Currently, our research group is performing a study on the effects of EXP treatment in patients with PDN.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Merete Kolberg Tennfjord ◽  
Rakel Gabrielsen ◽  
Tina Tellum

Abstract Background Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disease that has the potential to debilitate due to pain and reduced quality of life. Treatment modalities such as hormones and surgery have limitations and do not treat all dimensions of the problems caused by endometriosis, and physical activity (PA) and exercise have been suggested as alternative treatments. Aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of PA and exercise on endometriosis-associated symptoms. Methods Eleven databases were searched systematically. Study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction were carried out by two independent researchers in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Eligibility criteria were women with diagnosed endometriosis receiving an intervention (PA and/or exercise). The primary outcome was pain intensity, but all outcomes were accepted. Results This study screened 1045 citations for eligibility. Four interventional studies were identified, of which one showed fatal design flaws and so was excluded. Three studies, two randomized controlled trials (RCT) and one pre-post study with no control group, involving 109 patients were included in a descriptive synthesis. The interventions included flexibility and strength training, cardiovascular fitness, and yoga, and were performed from one to four times per week for a total duration of 8–24 weeks, with or without supervision. Only one study found improvements in pain intensity. One study showed decreases in stress levels. Due to the heterogeneity of the study outcomes and measures, as well as confounding factors, a quantitative meta-analysis could not be performed. Conclusion The effect of PA and exercise as treatments for endometrioses-associated symptoms could not be determined due to significant limitations of the included studies. Future research should be based on RCTs of high methodological quality, measuring and reporting relevant core outcomes such as pain, improvements in symptoms and quality of life, and acceptability and satisfaction from the perspectives of patients. Furthermore, these outcomes need to be measured using reliable and validated tools. Trial registration number CRD42021233138.


Pain Medicine ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1756-1773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kitty Kioskli ◽  
Whitney Scott ◽  
Kirsty Winkley ◽  
Stavros Kylakos ◽  
Lance M McCracken

Abstract Objective Diabetes mellitus is associated with a number of complications that can adversely impact patients’ quality of life. A common and often painful complication is painful diabetic neuropathy. The aims of this study were to systematically review and summarize evidence from studies of psychological treatments and psychosocial factors related to painful diabetic neuropathy and assess the methodological quality of these studies. Methods Electronic databases, related reviews, and associated reference lists were searched. Summaries of participants’ data relating to the efficacy of psychological treatments and/or to associations between psychosocial factors and outcomes in painful diabetic neuropathy were extracted from the included studies. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using two standardized quality assessment tools. Results From 2,921 potentially relevant titles identified, 27 studies were included in this systematic review. The evidence suggests that depression, anxiety, sleep, and quality of life are the most studied variables in relation to pain outcomes in painful diabetic neuropathy and are consistently associated with pain intensity. The magnitude of the associations ranged from small to large. Conclusions Research into psychosocial factors in painful diabetic neuropathy is unexpectedly limited. The available evidence is inconsistent and leaves a number of questions unanswered, particularly with respect to causal associations between variables. The evidence reviewed indicates that depression, anxiety, low quality of life, and poor sleep are associated with pain in painful diabetic neuropathy. The disproportionate lack of research into psychological treatments for painful diabetic neuropathy represents a significant opportunity for future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 773
Author(s):  
Wei-Ting Wu ◽  
Tsung-Min Lee ◽  
Der-Sheng Han ◽  
Ke-Vin Chang

The association of sarcopenia with poor clinical outcomes has been identified in various medical conditions, although there is a lack of quantitative analysis to validate the influence of sarcopenia on patients with lumbar degenerative spine disease (LDSD) from the available literature. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with LDSD and examine its impact on clinical outcomes. The electronic databases (PubMed and Embase) were systematically searched from inception through December 2020 for clinical studies investigating the association of sarcopenia with clinical outcomes in patients with LDSD. A random-effects model meta-analysis was carried out for data synthesis. This meta-analysis included 14 studies, comprising 1953 participants. The overall prevalence of sarcopenia among patients with LDSD was 24.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.3%–34.3%). The relative risk of sarcopenia was not significantly increased in patients with LDSD compared with controls (risk ratio, 1.605; 95% CI, 0.321–8.022). The patients with sarcopenia did not experience an increase in low back and leg pain. However, lower quality of life (SMD, −0.627; 95% CI, −0.844–−0.410) were identified postoperatively. Sarcopenia did not lead to an elevated rate of complications after lumbar surgeries. Sarcopenia accounts for approximately one-quarter of the population with LDSD. The clinical manifestations are less influenced by sarcopenia, whereas sarcopenia is associated with poorer quality of life after lumbar surgeries. The current evidence is still insufficient to support sarcopenia as a predictor of postoperative complications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Marina Rodríguez Cintas ◽  
Sara Márquez ◽  
Javier González Gallego

BACKGROUND: Sedentarism is an important modifiable risk factor in the struggle against cancer. In the last decades, the relationship between physical activity and different types of cancer has been investigated in depth. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the literature on the effectiveness of physical activity in reducing the risk to develop bladder cancer and improving health-related quality of life in patients. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted through a search of the Embase, Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WOS) databases to seek information and PRISMA system to delimitate the research. Outcomes included in searches were physical activity, tobacco consumption, obesity, body mass index, and metabolic syndrome, associated with bladder cancer and quality of life. RESULTS: Database searches identified 394 records, of which 75 were duplicated. A total of 280 articles were excluded based on abstract screening. An additional 16 full-text articles were excluded because they did not meet the eligibility criteria. Overall, 21 of the 23 studies included in the review reported beneficial effects of physical activity in bladder cancer. The majority of papers found that physical activity is a significant factor in reducing the risk of bladder cancer. Moreover, physical activity improves health-related quality of life in bladder cancer survivors, and diminishes both recurrence and mortality in those who engage in regular activity. Lastly, physical inactivity is associated with increased body mass index, obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and unfavourable energy balance, which led to a greater probability of suffering from bladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These data reinforce the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of bladder cancer and to improve survivorship and health-related quality of life of patients.


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