EFFECTS OF SOLEUS PUSH-UP EXERCISE ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Vollständiger Abstract

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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether a 12-week seated soleus push-up exercise program, added to standard diabetes care, improves fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This open-label, two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital from October 15, 2025, to February 15, 2026. A total of 384 adults with T2DM were randomized equally to standard care alone or standard care plus seated soleus push-ups for 30 min/session, 5 days/week, for 12 weeks. The revised sample-size justification was based on a clinically meaningful 0.50%-point HbA1c difference, a standard deviation of 1.20, 90% power, a two-sided alpha of 0.05, and 15% anticipated attrition. FPG and HbA1c were measured at baseline and week 12. Treatment effects were assessed using group-by-time models and between-group change-score comparisons with Holm correction for the two primary outcomes. Results: All 384 randomized participants completed follow-up and were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. FPG decreased by 10.31±3.12 mg/dL in the control group and 22.58±12.99 mg/dL in the soleus push-up group. The adjusted between-group difference in change was −12.27 mg/dL (95% confidence interval [CI]: −14.17–−10.37; Cohen’s d = 1.30; adjusted p