Background/Aim. Diabetic polyneuropathy is a common chronic complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of applied physical procedures on the functional status of diabetic poly-neuropathy patients compared to the group of respondents treated by alpha-lipoic acid. Methods. Sixty subjects were di-vided into two groups: group A – diabetic polyneuropathy patients treated with physical procedures, and group B – dia-betic polyneuropathy patients treated with alpha-lipoic acid. The study has lasted for three diagnostic and therapeutic cy-cles, each lasting for 16 days with a time between cycles of 6 weeks. Results. Manual muscle test, range of motion, Michi-gan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, and Berg balance scale values showed statistically significant improvement at the end of testing group A respondents, while no improvement was shown in group B respondents. Conclusion. The application of the combined physical procedures shows clear benefits for the improvement of muscle strength and mobility of the ankle joint in respondents with diabetic polyneuropathy.