Best exercises for Diabetics

Exercises have essential role in management of diabetes. It is often the first lifestyle recommendation made to patients with diabetes. Together with diet and behaviour modification, exercise is central to effective lifestyle prevention and management of diabetes. All exercise, whether aerobic or resistance training or a combination, facilitates improved glucose regulation. In addition to the cardiovascular benefits, long-term exercise promotes healthier skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and liver and pancreas function.

5 best exercises for diabetics

Walking

By walking every day for 30 minutes to an hour, people with diabetes can reap the benefit of Improved glucose control. Exercise helps muscles absorb blood sugar, preventing it from building up in the bloodstream. People of elder age may have difficulty in walking due to other reasons like knee pain, heavy weight, neuropathic pain developed due to diabetes, claudication etc. In these cases walking can be done in very short or short interval of time.
Smallest walking duration can be timed to 6 minute walk, followed by rest of 2 minutes and then 6 minute timed walk. For a week this 6 minute timed walk has to be continued considering the tolerance and ability of the person.
In general 45 minutes walk is considered to be therapeutic but it has to be done according to the person tolerance and ease. Persistence is the key to recovery.

Aerobic exercises

Aerobic exercise improves body sensitivity to insulin and can help decrease blood glucose and overall diabetes control, decreases blood pressure and lipids and decreases risk of heart disease. Walking is also one of the easiest aerobic exercise. Other aerobic exercises include swimming, running, cycling, dancing.
During lock down when outdoor activities are restricted a step up and down exercise can be added to the exercise regime of diabetics. Duration of step up and down with low height step can be as low as 3 minutes .

Resistance exercises

Resistance exercise help to build strength in muscles, two times in a week resistance exercise plan can be added. It can be done by using resistance bands, weights, dumb-bells.
Flexibility exercises
Stretching of hamstring muscles, other tight muscles have to be stretched for maintaining good posture and thus in overall good health and endurance of the person. Yoga asanas like Paschimottanasana helps in stretching and maintaining of flexibility. Before doing flexibility exercises warm up is must and no breath holding is supposed to be done.

Balance training

Balance training can improve stability indices in diabetic patients with neuropathy. The most simple exercise of balance training include standing on one leg for 30 seconds and then with other leg for 30 sec. progression of this exercise can be done by increasing the duration of exercise.
Making figure of eight exercise
This is a good exercise for improving balance and co-ordination. while standing just make a figure of eight on the floor with one leg, by doing this all the weight will be shifted to the other leg. In the same way repeat this exercise with other leg. Senior citizens can take support of a bed or chair or maybe walking stick to do this exercise.
To know more consult your physiotherapist to plan a perfect exercise regimen considering your age and other conditions. If you have any other questions post them in the comments section or else contact us for any further help.

Sciatica
Sciatica or the sciatic pain is one of the most common pain treated in physiotherapy clinic along with back pain. Pain along the sciatic nerve course is termed as sciatica. The pain radiates to the back of hip, the back of thigh and the leg. There are various cause to have this type of pain.
Causes of sciatica
Degenerative changes of the spine or the age- related changes of the spine is one of the common contributing factor of this pain. Bony spurs or the osteophytes which develop as a part of ageing process compresses the nerve and thus produces pain in the area which are being supplied by the nerve. Bulged disc, poor posture, obesity are the contributing factors.
Treatment
Very mild pain may get relieved by improving posture. A detailed assessment is required to rule out pain radiating due to prolapsed disc, involvement of piriformis muscle or any other cause. Depending upon the nerve root involved a physiotherapy plan is made. Physiotherapy modalities like ultrasound, shortwave diathermy, interferential therapy helps in relieving pain. Stretching and strengthening exercises are being done to treat the cause. Physiotherapist guide the patient about self-stretching exercises and precautions like sitting posture and overall posture correction exercises. Patient continues with long term strengthening exercise program to prevent the reoccurrence of the pain.

Post Covid Respiratory Exercises

We all understand the importance of exercises to strengthen our muscles for leg, arm, knee and all other joints. In the same way we can strengthen our respiratory system including the lungs and muscles which support the system.
Breathing exercises are very helpful in the recovery of post covid patients who had respiratory symptoms. Though each individual is different and require specific respiratory exercises depending upon the condition. Few of the exercises which can be done post covid are blowing with a pipe in a glass of water, holding a piece of paper and blowing it slowly, pursed lip breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, Three ball spirometer exercise. These exercises have been used since years in chest physiotherapy and have lot of evidence support in medical journals .
Like any other exercise program respiratory exercises also need a warm up plan before you start doing the exercises. Warm up exercise include raising the arm in front. we should first sit in a comfortable sitting position and while inhaling raise the arm up. This should be done for 10 times. This prepare the muscles for progression of exercise. The key to this exercise is not to exert yourself. Slowly with regularity of exercises ease will come. Bending to the right side with arm stretched and in the same way bending to the left side with arm stretched. This helps in increasing the intercoastal spaces present between the ribs. More regularly the exercise are being done better are the results and quicker the recovery. 10 minutes of walk should be done inside the home three times in a day . As mentioned above that every individual need and condition is different, it is advisable to consult a physiotherapist and get your specific plan.