Occupational Therapy for Diabetic Patient

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Medication is not enough to make a diabetic patient feel good and live a full life. Exercise has the potential to control the diabetes by non-medical means, reduce the severity of the disease, and significantly reduce the risk of long-term complications.

Diabetes is a condition where the body has trouble taking glucose from the blood and delivering it to the rest of the body so that it can be used as energy. This is because of a lack of or on mobility to use insulin. There are two common types of diabetes Insulin-dependent diabetes also known as type 1. People who cannot produce insulin and must take insulin by injection. Other is non-insulin dependent diabetes or type 2. These people are "Insulin resistant", meaning that they produce insulin, but it is not effective to carry out the glucose into the cells.

There are some sign-symptom of diabetes patient are, frequent urination, extreme hunger, rapid weight loss, weakness, fatigue and irritability, nausea and vomiting.

Who Can Receive Exercise :

The American Diabetes Association recommends that anyone with diabetes have a through medical exam to see if there are risks for coronary artery disease and that blood glucose control is adequate before starting an exercise programme. Exercise can be advised if the patient has :

Blood glucose is between 100-250 mg/dl
No symptoms of retinopathy (damage to the blood vessels of the eye)
Nephropathy (kidney damage)
No cardiovascular problems, such as angina, embolism or aneurysm.
No other condition that makes exercises hard.

Occupational Therapy Exercise Guidelines for The Diabetic Patient :

Start easy exercise and gradually increase intensity and duration.
Warm up and cool down for 5-10 minutes each by exercising at a low intensity.
Don't exercise outdoors on very hot or humid days.
To prevent dehydration, drink a cup of cold water before and after exercise.
Know the warning signs of heart problems chest, arm or jaw pain, Nausea, dezziness or fainting, unusual shortness of breath during exercise, irregular pulse.

Benefit of Exercise For Diabetic Patient :

Increase, insulin sensitivity, Insulin sensitivity can remain high for 24-48 hours after a person stops exercising.
Helps restore normal glucose metabolism by decreasing body fat.
Strength training (resistance or weight training) also decrease body fat by raising the metabolism. It's main benefit; however, is increasing glucose uptake by the muscles and enhancing the ability to store glucose.
Exercise helps lower coronary risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Increase energy
Lower cholesterol
Weight management
Decrease stress.

Aerobic exercises are includes walking, jogging, bicycling, or aerobic dancing. Their goal should be to exercise five times per week, up to 40-60 minutes per session but this level of exercise can be reached gradually. Starting as low as 10-20 minutes a few times a week. Remember to increase only one factor at a time (days per week, length of session, or intensity).

Strength training for those who have no other complications, strength training is safe and can provide many benefits. It can increase lean mass which will help in weight management, as well as increase glucose uptake by the muscles and help the body to store glucose. Strength training programs are designed around a persons needs, desires, level of conditioning and time factors. A basic recommendation from the American college of sports Medicine is to train a minimum of two times per week, doing 8-12 repetitions per set of 8-10 exercises targeting major muscle group.

Exercise is only one part or the treatment for diabetic patient. Regular medical supervision and proper nutrition is also important. If a person exercise regularly, with these, the person may enjoy a better quality of life and reduce the risk of complications.

The author is an Occupational Therapist.

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