Can balance training help diabetic neuropathy patients avoid falls?
NCT ID NCT07598513
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study compares two types of balance training for people with diabetic neuropathy, a condition that can cause numbness and balance problems. 42 participants will be randomly assigned to do balance exercises on a firm surface or on a rolling board, three times a week for four weeks. The goal is to see which surface better improves balance and reduces fall risk.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- perturbation-based balance training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a simple, non-drug therapy to improve balance and reduce falls in people with diabetic neuropathy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 42 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The training is short (4 weeks) and may not produce lasting benefits.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 42 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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40 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%) (Bolen et al., 2016). * Participants with a diabetes duration of more than 10 years (Grewal et al., 2015). * Participants exhibiting signs and symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (such as numbness, tingling, burning, shooting or electric shock-like pain, and glove-and-stocking distribution), confirmed using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument with scores of 6-8 (patient version) and 2.5-4 (physical assessment) (Haque et al., 2022). * Participants aged between 40 and 75 years (Rasool et al., 2024). * Both male and female participants will be eligible for inclusion (Haleem et al., 2024). * Participants currently using insulin-sensitizing medications (e.g., metformin, Diamicron, insulin). * Participants who are able to stand and walk independently (Allin et al., 2020). * Participants with a Berg Balance Scale score ranging from 25 to 40 (Phyu et al., 2022). * Participants willing to provide informed consent (Lepesis et al., 2023). Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) will be excluded (Daud et al., 2021). * Those with cognitive deficits (such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease) that may interfere with comprehension or compliance with study procedures will not be included (Hatton et al., 2019). * Individuals presenting with foot drop or other neurological disorders (e.g., stroke, myelopathy, or cerebellar ataxia) that could affect the study findings will be excluded (Khurshid et al., 2025). * Patients who have recently undergone surgery, sustained trauma to the feet or lower limbs, or have any foot amputation will not be eligible (Collings et al., 2023). * Individuals diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis or orthostatic hypotension will be excluded (Khurshid et al., 2025). * Patients with active diabetic foot ulcers or notable musculoskeletal deformities (such as scoliosis or degenerative joint disease) will be excluded (Lepesis et al., 2023). * Individuals with neuropathy unrelated to diabetes, including cases associated with alcohol use or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, will not be included. * Participants taking medications that may provoke vertigo or disturb balance (for example, aspirin) will be excluded.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Madinah Teaching Hospital and Al Mahmood Physiotherapy Clinic, Faisalabad
Faisalābad, Punjab Province, 38000, Pakistan
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