The clinical and biomechanical effects of subthreshold random noise on the plantar surface of the foot in diabetic patients and elder people: A systematic review

Background: Central nervous system receives information from foot mechanoreceptors in order to control balance and perform movement tasks. Subthreshold random noise seems to improve sensitivity of the cutaneous mechanoreceptor. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to systematically review published evidence conducted to evaluate the clinical and biomechanical effects of subthreshold random noise on the plantar surface of the foot in diabetic patients and elder people. Study design: Systematic review. Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases based on population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and study method. Quality of studies was assessed using the methodological quality assessment tool, using Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. Results: In all, 11 studies were selected for final evaluation based on inclusion criteria. Five studies evaluated the effects of subthreshold random noise in diabetic patients and six in elder people. In seven studies, biomechanical (balance and gait parameters) effects and in four studies clinical (pressure and vibration sensations) effects of subthreshold random noise were investigated. All reviewed studies were scored fair (2) to good (9) quality in terms of methodological quality assessment using Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. Conclusion: The results indicated that subthreshold random noise improves balance and sensation in diabetic patients and elder people. Also gait variables can be improved in elder people with subthreshold random noise. However, further well-designed studies are needed. Clinical relevance The previous studies reported that subthreshold random noise may improve gait, balance, and sensation, but more studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effect of subthreshold random noise in shoe or insole for daily living tasks in diabetic patients and elder people.

[1]  J. Collins,et al.  Vibrating insoles and balance control in elderly people , 2003, The Lancet.

[2]  Peter Hänggi,et al.  Stochastic resonance in biology. How noise can enhance detection of weak signals and help improve biological information processing. , 2002, Chemphyschem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry.

[3]  Hylton B Menz,et al.  Walking stability and sensorimotor function in older people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. , 2004, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[4]  Dieter Rosenbaum,et al.  Reduced plantar sensation causes a cautious walking pattern. , 2004, Gait & posture.

[5]  Catherine Sherrington,et al.  Reliability of the PEDro scale for rating quality of randomized controlled trials. , 2003, Physical therapy.

[6]  J. Collins,et al.  Enhancing tactile sensation in older adults with electrical noise stimulation , 2002, Neuroreport.

[7]  Qin Wei,et al.  Multivariate Multiscale Entropy Applied to Center of Pressure Signals Analysis: An Effect of Vibration Stimulation of Shoes , 2012, Entropy.

[8]  A. Veves,et al.  Role of Neuropathy and High Foot Pressures in Diabetic Foot Ulceration , 1998, Diabetes Care.

[9]  Jeffrey M. Hausdorff,et al.  Gait variability and fall risk in community-living older adults: a 1-year prospective study. , 2001, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[10]  D. Armstrong,et al.  The forefoot-to-rearfoot plantar pressure ratio is increased in severe diabetic neuropathy and can predict foot ulceration. , 2002, Diabetes care.

[11]  Dieter Rosenbaum,et al.  Modified pressure distribution patterns in walking following reduction of plantar sensation. , 2002, Journal of biomechanics.

[12]  J. Niemi,et al.  Prolonged Mechanical Noise Restores Tactile Sense in Diabetic Neuropathic Patients , 2009, The international journal of lower extremity wounds.

[13]  D Nozaki,et al.  Functional stochastic resonance in the human brain: noise induced sensitization of baroreflex system. , 2000, Physical review letters.

[14]  John Dixon,et al.  Altering gait by way of stimulation of the plantar surface of the foot: the immediate effect of wearing textured insoles in older fallers , 2012, Journal of Foot and Ankle Research.

[15]  J. Collins,et al.  Noise-enhanced human sensorimotor function , 2003, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine.

[16]  D. Kenshalo.  Somesthetic sensitivity in young and elderly humans. , 1986, Journal of gerontology.

[17]  Bijan Forogh,et al.  Dynamic stability training improves standing balance control in neuropathic patients with type 2 diabetes. , 2011, Journal of rehabilitation research and development.

[18]  L. M. Ward,et al.  Regional variation and changes with ageing in vibrotactile sensitivity in the human footsole. , 2003, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[19]  Chien-Chih Wang,et al.  Using detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to analyze whether vibratory insoles enhance balance stability for elderly fallers. , 2012, Archives of gerontology and geriatrics.

[20]  Aftab E Patla,et al.  Contribution of vision and cutaneous sensation to the control of centre of mass (COM) during gait termination , 2001, Brain Research.

[21]  Bijan Najafi,et al.  Diabetic Foot Biomechanics and Gait Dysfunction , 2010, Journal of diabetes science and technology.

[22]  I. Chi,et al.  Impact of falls on the balance, gait, and activities of daily living functioning in community-dwelling Chinese older adults. , 2006, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[23]  J. Arezzo,et al.  Diabetic somatic neuropathies. , 2004, Diabetes care.

[24]  Hélène Corriveau,et al.  Postural control mechanisms during quiet standing in patients with diabetic sensory neuropathy. , 2004, Diabetes care.

[25]  P. McKeon,et al.  Plantar hypoesthesia alters time-to-boundary measures of postural control , 2007 .

[26]  Frank Moss,et al.  Noise enhancement of information transfer in crayfish mechanoreceptors by stochastic resonance , 1993, Nature.

[27]  Farzaneh A. Sorond,et al.  Subsensory vibrations to the feet reduce gait variability in elderly fallers. , 2009, Gait & posture.

[28]  Robert J. Peterka,et al.  Diabetic neuropathy and surface sway-referencing disrupt somatosensory information for postural stability in stance , 2002, Somatosensory & motor research.

[29]  M. L. Losa Iglesias,et al.  Impact of soft and hard insole density on postural stability in older adults. , 2012, Geriatric nursing.

[30]  Wiebren Zijlstra,et al.  Effects of vibrating insoles on standing balance in diabetic neuropathy. , 2008, Journal of rehabilitation research and development.

[31]  B. Nigg,et al.  The effect of changes in foot sensation on plantar pressure and muscle activity. , 2001, Clinical biomechanics.

[32]  Manuel Montero-Odasso,et al.  Noise-enhanced vibrotactile sensitivity in older adults, patients with stroke, and patients with diabetic neuropathy. , 2002, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[33]  L. M. Ward,et al.  Stochastic resonance and sensory information processing: a tutorial and review of application , 2004, Clinical Neurophysiology.

[34]  G. J. Gouw,et al.  Shoe Sole Thickness and Hardness Influence Balance in Older Men , 1992, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[35]  J. Roll,et al.  The plantar sole is a ‘dynamometric map’ for human balance control , 1998, Neuroreport.

[36]  Marco Y C Pang,et al.  The effect of whole body vibration on balance, mobility and falls in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. , 2012, Maturitas.

[37]  U. Misra,et al.  Diabetic neuropathy , 2006, Postgraduate Medical Journal.

[38]  W. Zijlstra,et al.  The Effect of Reduced Somatosensation on Standing Balance: A Systematic Review , 2009, Journal of diabetes science and technology.

[39]  Akers,et al.  Systematic Reviews [ressource électronique]. CRD's guidance for undertaking reviews in health care , 2009 .

[40]  D. Armstrong,et al.  A Supplement to : Foot & Ankle Surgery , 2006 .

[41]  F Lacquaniti,et al.  A novel approach to mechanical foot stimulation during human locomotion under body weight support. , 2011, Human movement science.

[42]  A. Weightman,et al.  Taking STOX: developing a cross disciplinary methodology for systematic reviews of research on the built environment and the health of the public , 2002, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[43]  Kurt Wiesenfeld,et al.  Stochastic resonance and the benefits of noise: from ice ages to crayfish and SQUIDs , 1995, Nature.

[44]  Stephen D. Perry,et al.  Evaluation of age-related plantar-surface insensitivity and onset age of advanced insensitivity in older adults using vibratory and touch sensation tests , 2006, Neuroscience Letters.

[45]  J. Collins,et al.  Tactile stimulation of insoles and balance control in elderly people , 2004, The Lancet.

[46]  Frank Moss,et al.  Noise in human muscle spindles , 1996, Nature.

[47]  J A Stevens,et al.  Reducing falls and resulting hip fractures among older women. , 2000, MMWR. Recommendations and reports : Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Recommendations and reports.

[48]  S. D. Perry,et al.  Influence of footwear midsole material hardness on dynamic balance control during unexpected gait termination. , 2007, Gait & posture.

[49]  Hylton B Menz,et al.  Effects of experimentally induced plantar insensitivity on forces and pressures under the foot during normal walking. , 2004, Gait & posture.

[50]  Thomas T. Imhoff,et al.  Noise-enhanced tactile sensation , 1996, Nature.

[51]  P. Wall,et al.  Pain mechanisms: a new theory. , 1965, Science.

[52]  Paolo Bonato,et al.  Noise‐enhanced balance control in patients with diabetes and patients with stroke , 2006, Annals of neurology.

[53]  Klaas Postema,et al.  A systematic review of the effects of shoes and other ankle or foot appliances on balance in older people and people with peripheral nervous system disorders. , 2007, Gait & posture.

[54]  Thomas T. Imhoff,et al.  Noise-enhanced information transmission in rat SA1 cutaneous mechanoreceptors via aperiodic stochastic resonance. , 1996, Journal of neurophysiology.

[55]  M. Nobre,et al.  The PICO strategy for the research question construction and evidence search. , 2007, Revista latino-americana de enfermagem.

[56]  Bethany J. Wilcox,et al.  Baseline-dependent effect of noise-enhanced insoles on gait variability in healthy elderly walkers. , 2012, Gait & posture.

[57]  Carlo J. De Luca,et al.  The role of plantar cutaneous sensation in unperturbed stance , 2004, Experimental Brain Research.

[58]  B. E. Maki,et al.  Gait Changes in Older Adults: Predictors of Falls or Indicators of Fear? , 1997, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[59]  J. Niemi,et al.  Enhancing sensation in diabetic neuropathic foot with mechanical noise. , 2003, Diabetes care.