It has been suggested that the decrease in walking speed in
people with peripheral sensory loss may be a strategy to improve
stability.12 However, the efficacy of this strategy could
be questioned because 2 recent studies14,15 have shown that
DPN is an independent risk factor for falls and injuries. A
telephone survey by Cavanagh et al14 found that people with
DPN were 15 times more likely to report injuries associated
with walking, and felt less safe when walking on unfamiliar
conditions. Similarly, Richardson et al15 found that people with
neuropathy had significantly higher rates of falls than nonneuropathic
controls.