Diabetes and Physical Therapy

Course overview

Diabetes is unequivocally one of the most serious health crises facing the human race. Metabolism is nothing to be taken for granted, and the power of relationship between glucose and insulin is paramount for sustaining life. Medical means to maintain this interaction are limited against a formidable sequence of diabetes-associated health complications, leading to increased rates of morbidity and mortality. For medical intervention to be successful, an individual’s lifestyle must be conducive to the demands of the day. Aside from those who perform daily physical labor, the majority of the First World workforce is highly sedentary, with dietary intake that exceeds metabolic needs, and is based largely upon multi-dimensional compulsion, culture and socioeconomic status. Physical therapists are well-versed in many of the complications associated with diabetes, and contribute to interdisciplinary efforts to manage this disease process and improve the quality of life for those affected. Current evidence and medical research has broadened the appropriate considerations required of physical therapists to treat patients with diabetes, regardless of clinical setting. Gone are the days where manual muscle testing and range-of-motion measurement are the standards. Current practice patterns must include cumulative broad-spectrum knowledge related to patient aerobic and metabolic capacity, for the purpose of incorporating patient metabolic processes into concurrent treatment. One of the most important variables for physical therapists to follow for this patient population is hemoglobin A1C, as it presents a gold-standard objective measurement for interdisciplinary care.