Relationships between plantar flexor muscle stiffness, strength, and range of motion in subjects with diabetes-peripheral neuropathy compared to age-matched controls.

STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study to compare relationships between muscle performance measures in 2 subject groups.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationships between plantar flexor (PF) muscle stiffness, strength (concentric peak torque), and dorsiflexion (DF) range of motion (ROM) in subjects with diabetes who have peripheral neuropathy (n = 17, 10 men, 7 women; age = 58 +/- 11 years) and age-matched controls (n = 17, 10 men, 7 women; age = 62 +/- 6 years).

BACKGROUND: The relationships between muscle stiffness, strength, and joint ROM have not been clearly established. Furthermore, the effect of neuromuscular pathology on these relationships is unknown.

METHODS AND MEASURES: PF stiffness and strength measurements were obtained with an isokinetic dynamometer. DF ROM was measured with a goniometer. A Pearson correlation matrix was constructed for each subject group using stiffness, strength, and ROM variables. The percent contribution of passive torque to total torque was computed at 2 joint angles.

RESULTS: In subjects with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy (DM-PN) peak concentric PF torque was positively correlated with passive torque at 5 degrees DF (r = 0.77), Stiffness #1 (r = 0.58), and Stiffness #2 (r = 0.50). The percentage of passive PF torque at 5 degrees DF was greater in subjects with DM-PN, compared to control subjects (29.3 +/- 9.4% versus 12.6 +/- 5.9%).

CONCLUSIONS: The positive correlation between PF stiffness and strength, and the greater percentage of passive PF torque in subjects with DM-PN suggest that patients with decreased strength may use passive torque to maximize total torque. Therefore, treatment methods designed to decrease stiffness should be used cautiously.