ABSTRACT
Chronic pain is a common condition in the general population, and its prevalence increases with advancing age. Diabetic neuropathies encompass a wide range of nerve abnormalities and are common, with prevalence estimated between 5% and 100% of diabetics, depending on sampling methods and diagnostic criteria. Although chronic pain is not associated with all clinical presentations of the diabetic neuropathy, in older diabetic patients, painful peripheral neuropathies are especially disabling due to their detrimental effects on balance, sensorimotor function, gait, and functional autonomy. Several epidemiologic studies in older populations have shown that diabetes is among the major chronic conditions that predict disability in a number of domains of function. In the Nagi model describing the pathway from pathology to disability, physical impairments such as muscle weakness, balance problems, and gait limitations are considered as steps in the process leading to disability.
