Effect of surgical decompression of nerves in the lower extremity in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy on stability: a randomized controlled trial

42 patients with diabetes mellitus and diagnosed with painful diabetic polyneuropathy were randomly assigned to receive unilateral decompression of the tibial nerve in either their right or left leg, using the contralateral leg as a comparison. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of lower extremity nerve decompression on stability and function in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy by comparing the pre-operative and post-operative measures of various sway parameters and weight bearing ability. The results of this study found nerve decompression to have no significant influence on stability or weight bearing ability when compared to the contralateral leg at both 6-months and 1-year following surgery.