Physical Therapy, Diabetes, and Weight Management: How They Work Together
Tessa Doughty PTA/Clinical Director, Milford Street
Diabetes is a group of diseases that result in too much sugar in the blood (high blood glucose). Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. … Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems.
There are two main types:
Type 1 diabetes: A chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin
Type 2 diabetes: A chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar (glucose).
Over time, high blood glucose leads to problems such as
heart disease
stroke
kidney disease
eye problems
dental disease
nerve damage
foot problems
How Does Weight Management Effect Diabetes?
You can take steps to lower your chances of developing these diabetes-related health problems. Nutrition and physical activity are important parts of a healthy lifestyle when you have diabetes. Along with other benefits, following a healthy diet and being active can help you keep your blood glucose level, also called blood sugar, in your target range. To manage your blood glucose, you need to balance what you eat and drink with physical activity and diabetes medicine, if you take any. What you choose to eat, how much you eat, and when you eat are all important in keeping your blood glucose level in the range that your health care team recommends.
Becoming more active and making changes in what you eat, and drink can seem challenging at first but with the help of a health care professional such as a physical therapist your path to a healthier you can be quite easy!
How Can Physical Therapy Help Me Manage Diabetes?
Aquacare Physical Therapy offers several programs for weight loss that focus on finding your target heart rate, finding your body mass index and helping to figure out what your weight loss goals are. Your physical therapist can then create an individualized program with you that will allow you to work at a comfortable pace while decreasing your blood glucose levels, improving your cardiovascular health and improving your risk of either developing diabetes or aide in the self-management of treatment.
Aquacare/Fitness Forum Physical Therapy