Evaluating the depression status following backward walking exercise in diabetic neuropathy patients

The incidence rate of psychological depression is commonly grown among patients with diabetic neuropathy (DN). This pilot retrospective study aims to assess the effects of backward walking exercise (BWE) on depression condition in patients experiencing DN. This pilot retrospective study included 27 patients who clinically suffered from moderate depression related to DN between August 2017 and December 2018, and their mean age was 43.5±6.4 years. They were equipped for a program of backward walking exercise for six weeks, quartile weekly, and lasting for 50-60 minutes. The depression level was evaluated before and after backward walking exercise program utilizing Hamilton depression rating scale (HRS). The results showed that six-week backward walking exercise results in a significant reduction in HRS in DN patients (p˂0.001). The percentage of changes of HRS was 32.9% at the end of the exercise program. These findings provided that the backward walking exercise has a beneficial influence on depression status among diabetic patients, especially who experiencing DN.