effects of strengthening exercises program as a rehabilitation of elderly diabetic hand

This work was done to evaluate the effect of graduated active strengthening exercises program in the rehabilitation of weak diabetic hand muscles [hand grip and pinching] in 60 elderly diabetic patients suffering from weakness of hand grip and pinch grip power, their age ranged between 60 and 65 years old. They were divided randomly into three equal groups of 20 subjects each; group I received a passive movement for about 15 minutes, group II received passive exercises as group I and active program of movement for about 30 minutes and group III received only the active program of exercises as group II. The evaluation of hand grip and pinch grip in kilograms was done before and after 12 weeks of treatment using hand grip dynamometer and pinchmeter. The results showed that in group I; the improvements in hand grip, tip and key pinch were 4.2%, 22.1% and 10.03%, receptively, and in group II, it was 22.2%, 68% and 47.79%, respectively, while in group III, the increases in hand grip, tip, key pinch were 21.3%, 27.6% and 21.86%