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A team from Imperial College London (UK) and the affiliated University College of Osteopathy (UCO) pioneer new interventions for people with painful diabetic neuropathy, based on manual therapy and other non-drug treatments.
Developing a new drug-free approach for people with painful diabetic neuropathy (paid opportunity, online):
About the project
People with diabetes and associated nerve damage (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) lack good non-drug treatment options. Pain associated with this condition can be severely debilitating and lead to sleep problems and other limitations. Unfortunately, available drug treatments for neuropathic pain are not very effective or come with side effects. We are exploring a new approach builting on osteopathic manual therapy.
Osteopaths mainly treat people with pain, often back pain or musculoskeletal injuries. Apart from being experts in pain management, they also provide exercise programmes and lifestyle advice. However, they don’t often see people with diabetes or peripheral neuropathy. We hope that with some additional training, osteopaths may be perfectly placed to provide care for people with painful diabetic neuropathies. Importantly, we know from some UCO specialist clinics that people with painful neuropathies often really like a hands-on manual therapy approach.
For these reasons, we would like to explore if osteopathy can be combined with some training in approaches that could change the way you think and behave (cognitive-behavioural and lifestyle interventions); and if this can be an acceptable treatment for people with painful diabetic neuropathy.
We have involved people with the experience of painful diabetic neuropathy from the get-go of the project. At this stage, we are looking to cross-check our ideas with as many other people as possible. So, if you live with painful diabetic neuropathy and maybe even feel you have an insight into how other people experience this condition – we would love to hear from you!
You will be reimbursed for your time and expertise and any meetings can be online.
