Knee osteoarthritis footwear

INTRODUCTION: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent and disabling musculoskeletal condition. Biomechanical factors may play a key role in the aetiology of knee OA, therefore, a broad class of interventions involves the application or wear of devices designed to mechanically support knees with OA. These include gait aids, bracing, taping, orthotics and footwear. The literature regarding efficacy of mechanical interventions has been conflicting or inconclusive, and this may be because certain subgroups with knee OA respond better to mechanical interventions...

Objectives : This study examined whether risk factors for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) pain such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), baseline pain, and other putative risk factors for knee osteoarthritis pain flares (KOAF) (e.g. knee buckling, injury, mood/stress/social support scores, and footwear) could predict KOAF. Method : People with KOA and previous history of KOAF were selected from a 3 month web-based longitudinal study. KOAF was defined as an increase of ≥ 2 points on a numeric rating scale (compared with background pain) which resolved within 20 days...

AIM: To identify the association between hours of being barefoot/wearing footwear, physical activity (PA) and knee osteoarthritis pain flares (KOAF). METHODS: Persons with a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis, who reported previous KOAF, were followed up in a 3 months long telephone-based case-crossover study. Exposures to risk factors were assessed every 10 days and whenever the participants experienced a KOAF. Conditional logistic regression examined associations of KOAF with following: hours of being barefoot/using footwear and PA performed (P < ...

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that affects millions of individuals each year. Several biomechanical variables during walking have been identified as risk factors for developing knee OA, including the peak external knee adduction moment (KAM) and the knee flexion angle at initial contact. Many interventions have been studied to help mitigate these risk factors, including footwear. However, it is largely unknown how varying shoe cushioning may affect walking biomechanics related to knee OA risk...

PURPOSE: To provide evidence-based recommendations for patients with severe knee osteoarthritis (OA), who had their knee surgery postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: PubMed/Medline, Scopus and Cochrane Central databases were systematically reviewed for studies reporting outcomes of home-based treatments for knee OA. Due to between-study differences in treatment strategy and reporting methods the results were not pooled and findings of the current review were presented in a narrative manner...

Studies have shown the short- and long-term effects of wearing minimalist footwear in reducing knee loads in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underpinning the reduction in external knee adduction moment (EKAM) in older adult women who wore this type of footwear through a randomized controlled trial. Fifty-six participants with medial compartment knee OA were equally allocated to either an intervention group (IG) that wore minimalist footwear (Moleca®) or to a control group (CG) that continued regular clinical treatment for OA for six months...

BACKGROUND: Structural features of lateral tibiofemoral (TF) joint osteoarthritis (OA) occur in up to half of all people with knee OA, and co-existing lateral TF OA is associated with worse knee pain in people with mixed compartmental knee OA. Clinical guidelines for management of knee OA advocate advice about appropriate footwear, yet there is no research evaluating which types of footwear are best for managing pain associated with lateral TF OA. Biomechanical evidence suggests that "motion-control" footwear, which possess midsoles that are stiffer medially compared to laterally, may shift load away from the lateral compartment of the knee and thus may reduce knee pain associated with lateral TF OA...

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis is a disease of the joint causing decreased function and pain. Currently, treatments range from medication to surgery, with the use of different insoles and footwear recommended. These methods are effective by either correcting the position of the knee or providing shock absorption. However, there is little understanding of the effective characteristics of these devices. RESEARCH QUESTION: This paper aims to investigate this question and provide future areas of research to help better define treatment guidelines...

BACKGROUND: Foot orthoses are a recommended treatment for patellofemoral (PF) pain and a number of lower limb osteoarthritic (OA) conditions. However, their mechanism of effect is poorly understood. RESEARCH QUESTION: To compare the immediate effects of foot orthoses and flat inserts on lower limb biomechanics, knee pain and confidence in individuals with PFOA. METHODS: Twenty-one participants (14 females; mean ± SD age 58 ± 8 years) with PFOA underwent three-dimensional motion analysis during level-walking, stair ascent, and stair descent under three footwear conditions: (i) their own shoes; (ii) prefabricated foot orthoses; and (iii) flat shoe inserts...

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common causes of anterior knee pain encountered in the outpatient setting in adolescents and adults younger than 60 years. The incidence in the United States is between 3% and 6%. The cardinal feature of PFPS is pain in or around the anterior knee that intensifies when the knee is flexed during weight-bearing activities. The pain of PFPS often worsens with prolonged sitting or descending stairs. The most sensitive physical examination finding is pain with squatting...

Prominent conservative treatment options for medial-compartment knee osteoarthritis include footwear that reduces knee adduction moment (KAM) correlated with detrimental loads in the medial compartment of the knee, thus providing clinical benefit. The proposed mechanism by which they reduce KAM is a lateral shift in foot center of pressure (COP) and a consequent shortening of the knee lever arm (KLA), thereby reducing KAM, which can be simply calculated as KLA multiplied by the frontal plane ground reaction force (FP-GRF)...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the effects of commonly used footwear in urban Pakistan on knee adduction moment (KAM), knee adduction angular impulse (KAAI) and biomechanical work at lower limb joints (both individually and collectively). METHODOLOGY: Cinematographic gait analysis of 20 medial knee osteoarthritis patients (Kellgren-Lawrence Grade I and II, age: 55.48 ± 5.78 years; weight: 68.92 ± 9.61 kg, height: 1.62 ± 0.15m) was done, walking barefoot, with casual shoes, party shoes and traditional Pakistani sandals, at a walking speed of 1...

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of musculoskeletal pain and disability globally, and abnormal knee loading is central to disease pathogenesis. Clinical guidelines recommend clinicians provide advice regarding appropriate footwear for people with knee OA, yet there is little research comparing the effects of different footwear on knee OA symptoms. Research suggests that wearing flat flexible shoes is associated with lower knee joint loads compared to stable supportive shoe styles...

Background: Knee 'unloading' footwear can reduce the external knee adduction moment in people with knee osteoarthritis, yet effects of these shoes on regional plantar forces are unknown. We evaluated the effects of unloading shoes on in-shoe regional plantar forces, and whether measures of foot posture and/or mobility moderate these effects in people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Methods: In this exploratory study 21 participants underwent testing while wearing knee unloading shoes (ASICS GEL-Melbourne OA) and conventional shoes in random order...

The relationship between static foot structure characteristics and knee joint biomechanics during walking, or the biomechanical response to wedged insoles are currently unknown. In this study, 3D foot scanning, dual X-ray absorptiometry and gait analysis methods were used to determine structural parameters of the foot and assess their relation to knee joint loading and biomechanical response to wedged insoles in 30 patients with knee osteoarthritis. In multiple linear regression models, foot fat content, height of the medial longitudinal arch and static hind foot angle were not associated with the magnitude of the knee adduction moment (R2  = 0...

Knee pain is a highly prevalent condition in the United States with multiple etiologies, with two of the most common sources being osteoarthritis (OA) and patellofemoral pain (PFP). These conditions can lead to reduced physical function and a poor quality of life. Various modalities have been used to decrease the amount of knee pain that individuals' experience; however, they are not always successful and can be expensive. Several studies have reported on specialized footwear for symptomatic alleviation of conditions that affect the knee, this is because it has been theorized that certain footwear can alter the forces placed by muscles on lower-extremity joints, and can potentially alleviate pain by reducing the load placed on the joint...

BACKGROUND Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common disease that can change the load on lower limbs during walking. Plantar loads in patients with KOA may provide a basis for clinical decisions regarding footwear and foot orthoses. This study aimed to compare plantar loads in females with and without KOA during gait. MATERIAL AND METHODS Plantar pressure during walking was recorded in 23 females with KOA and 23 females without KOA. Maximum force (MF), contact area (CA), and peak pressure (PP) were measured at 7 different regions underneath the foot, named heel (M1), midfoot (M2), first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) (M3), second MPJ (M4), third to fifth MPJ (M5), hallux (M6), and lesser toes (M7)...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate moderators and biomechanical mediators of effects of unloading shoes on knee pain in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Exploratory analysis from 164 participants in a clinical trial comparing unloading (ASICS GEL-Melbourne OA) to conventional walking shoes. The primary outcome was 6-month change in knee pain (11-point numerical rating scale (NRS)). Moderators included baseline peak knee adduction moment (KAM), radiographic severity (Kellgren & Lawrence (KL) scale), body mass, foot posture, neuropathic pain and diffuse knee pain...

The external knee adduction moment has been identified as a key biomarker in biomechanics research, with associations with this variable and degenerative diseases such as knee osteoarthritis. Heterogeneity in participant characteristics and the protocols used to measure this variable may however complicate its interpretation. Previous reviews have focused on interventions or did not control for potential moderator variables in their analysis. In this meta-regression analysis, we aimed to determine the influence of factors including the cohort type, footwear, and walking speed on the measurement of knee adduction moment...

BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis is a common condition, yet information regarding conservative management is lacking. Foot orthoses are an effective intervention for improving pain and function in younger individuals with patellofemoral pain and may be effective in those with patellofemoral osteoarthritis. This pilot study will seek to establish the feasibility of a phase III randomised controlled trial to investigate whether foot orthoses worn in prescribed motion controlled footwear are superior to prescribed motion control footwear alone in the management of patellofemoral osteoarthritis...