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 Knee osteoarthritis, caused by wear and tear of the knee joint, may
affect up to a quarter of women and 15 percent of men over age 60,
the researchers write in Annals of Internal Medicine.
“It is somewhat surprising that we did not observe greater pain
relief with the Gel Melbourne OA shoes compared to conventional
shoes, given that our biomechanical research previously showed that
the shoes can significantly reduce loads across the inner knee
compartment,” said lead author Rana S. Hinman of the University of
Melbourne.
“It may be that footwear needs to be used in combination with other
treatment strategies, such as strengthening exercise, weight loss,
pain coping skills training and/or analgesics,” Hinman told Reuters
Health by email.
The researchers studied 164 people aged 50 years and older who
reported knee pain on most days of the previous month. They divided
the participants into two groups, with one group receiving standard
walking shoes while the others got the special “unloading” walking
shoes with "triple-density, variable-stiffness midsoles and mild
lateral-wedge insoles."
Participants were instructed to wear these shoes at least four hours
per day for six months and to avoid changing shoes. Before the study
began, and after six months of wear, they reported on their own knee
pain and physical function.
About half of participants reported an overall reduction in pain and
an overall increase in function, but they were about evenly split
between the group that received regular walking shoes and those who
got the specially designed unloading shoes.
“Our trial shows the unloading shoes conferred no additional benefit
compared to the conventional comparator shoes - however both types
of shoes resulted in significant pain relief and improvement in
physical function compared to baseline levels recorded by
participants at the start of the trial,” Hinman said. “So both types
of shoes were beneficial to the patients in our trial - and thus
either type of shoe could be considered beneficial.”
Both types of shoes in this trial sell for about $180 dollars.
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To help relieve symptoms, Hinman said, people with knee arthritis
can also use regular participation in strengthening and aerobic
exercise, weight loss for those who are overweight or obese and
education about how to self-manage knee pain through strategies such
as activity pacing, use of heat or cold, activity modification,
analgesics and anti-inflammatories.
“I think they would have seen an effect with a comparison group who
wore their usual shoes,” said Marian T. Hannan of the Institute for
Aging Research in Boston who coauthored an editorial accompanying
the new study.
Just getting a new pair of shoes, regardless of the kind, may help
with some knee pain, Hannan told Reuters Health.
“Current guidelines for arthritis say you should wear appropriate
shoes but no one defines what appropriate shoes are,” she said.
Supportive, lace-up shoes are better than clogs or flip-flops, but
the best level and type of support is still unclear, she said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/29DTuZB and http://bit.ly/29DUL3S Annals of
Internal Medicine, online July 12, 2016.
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