A study conducted at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil has concluded that the use of monochromatic infrared light in conjunction with conventional physical therapy is a promising alternative for the treatment of peripheral diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that most often affects the legs and feet, and one of the most frequent, insidious and incapacitating complications of diabetes. "The problem is mainly associated with the duration of diabetes and with inadequate control of blood sugar. It typically occurs between five and ten years after the disease is diagnosed, and manifests in various ways but above all in acute neuropathic pain , which may be accompanied by burning, tingling, prickling and numbness," said pediatric nursing specialist Denise Miyuki Kusahara, last and corresponding author of the article.
"These symptoms tend to intensify when the patient is at rest or asleep, so their quality of life is significantly impaired." Pharmacological treatment is usual in this case, but other therapeutic possibilities can help relieve the discomfort without the side effects caused by drugs, such as dry mouth, postural hypotension and urinary retention. "The lives and functionality of people with diabetes are so severely damaged by the problem that we set out to develop a novel approach.
We eventually decided to study photobiomodulation as an alternative to combat the pain caused by diabetic neuropathy," Kusahara said. A group of 144 patients wi.
