Flat footwear is better for people who have arthritis of the knee, according to US research. Flat-soled shoes are more flexible and reduce the strain on the inflamed knee joint.
The flat soles work by fooling the feet into thinking they are walking barefoot. The Chicago study involved 16 people with osteoarthritis of the knee wearing specially-made mobility shoes with their progress evaluated after six weeks, three months and six months.
The study concluded that using the mobility shoes over a long period of time helped reduce “knee loading” – the force put on the knee by everyday activities such as walking or climbing stairs – because the shoes made the wearers begin to change how they walk. The effect of the change in gait was long lasting because even after the study participants stopped wearing the special shoes, the knee loading continued to reduce.
The study was carried out by researchers from Rush University Medical Centre, in Chicago, and the results published in the online edition of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, often referred to as “wear-and-tear” arthritis because it usually affects older people (and women in particular) and is caused by thinning of the cartilage that surrounds the joints. The knee is the joint most likely to be affected by osteoarthritis, limiting mobility and reducing flexibility.
The Chicago study could mean that patients with osteoarthritis in the knee who wear the special mobility shoes for a specific period of time could train their feet to walk differently and so halt the progression of the disease. The feet act as a natural shock absorber and the shoes help to minimise the load on the knee.
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