People with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee are recommended to wear “”.appropriate footwear“To minimize their pain.

Does that mean the heel is missing? Is it okay to wear something a little hard like runners? Why not try using insoles?

Including our research, Latest clinical trials published today Annual report of internal medicineyou will get some answers.

Despite what you may have heard, we show that stable and supportive shoes are not always the best option.

What is osteoarthritis?

osteoarthritis It is a condition that affects the tissues in and around the joints, such as bones, cartilage, ligaments, and muscles. It is more common in older people and people who are overweight. It can cause joint pain and stiffness, which can lead to disability.

About 2.35 million Australians have osteoarthritisand this number is predicted to increase as the population ages and obesity rates rise.

Osteoarthritis commonly affects symptoms such as: hip and knee jointsmaking it difficult to walk. There is no cure, so self-management is important.

That includes wearing the right type of shoes.

How do shoes affect symptoms?

There are various causes of osteoarthritis, but excessive force is applied to the joints when walking. thought to play a role. Excessive joint force can also increase the likelihood of osteoarthritis worsens over time.

Shoes are our connection to the ground and influence how force is transferred to the leg with each step. Some features of shoes are especially important.

High-heeled shoes increase joint strength. For example, shoes with a 6 cm heel increase the force on your knees. average increase of 23% Compared to walking barefoot.

Some shoes come with support features such as insoles that support the arch. Other support features include the use of hard materials in the sole or heel.

Many people and clinicians think this way. Features of shoes with excellent stability and support Perfect for people with osteoarthritis.

but biomechanics research Shoes with these support features have been shown to actually increase the forces on the knees by up to 15% compared to shoes without them. arch support insole It can also increase the force on your knees by up to 6% when added to your shoes.

So are flat, flexible shoes without stable support, such as ballet flats, good for knee and hip osteoarthritis?

Not necessarily. We also need to pay attention to people’s pain.

what we found

A 2017 biomechanical study in patients with knee osteoarthritis showed the use of flat, flexible shoes. Reduction of force on the knees An average improvement of 9% compared to stable and supportive shoe styles.

This suggests that flat, flexible shoes may be better for osteoarthritis. To find out, we conducted two studies. clinical trial To find out people’s pain levels.

our new clinical trial 120 people with hip osteoarthritis participated.

Participants were randomly assigned to wear different types of flat, flexible shoes, such as flexible ballet flats, or different types of stable, supportive shoes, such as support runners. People were asked to wear shoes for at least six hours a day. After 6 months, changes in hip pain during walking were measured.

It turns out that flat, flexible shoes are just as good as stable, supportive shoes when it comes to reducing hip pain.

These findings differ from the following findings. 2021 clinical trials 164 patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study found that wearing stable, supportive shoes for six months reduced knee pain when walking by an average of 63% compared to wearing flat, flexible shoes.

It is unclear why the findings differ between the knee and hip. However, that may be due to the greater joint forces in the knee compared to hip osteoarthritis, so a stable support shoe may have a greater potential to reduce knee forces and, in turn, reduce knee pain.

In both trials, people who wore flat, flexible shoes reported more complications such as foot pain. This may be because these shoe styles do not provide enough protection for your feet.

So which shoes should you wear?

For people with knee osteoarthritis, stable, supportive shoes may be more beneficial than flat, flexible shoes.

For people with hip osteoarthritis, neither type of shoe is better for improving hip pain.

However, for all elderly people, including those with hip and knee osteoarthritis, It is wise to avoid Wearing ill-fitting shoes, high heels, or narrow shoes can increase your risk of falling.

Related: Signs of rheumatoid arthritis are detected years before symptoms appear

Young people with knee or hip osteoarthritis but who are not at risk of falling may want to avoid high heels because they can increase the forces on the joints.

Who should I tell?

If you’re concerned about osteoarthritis in your hip or knee, talk to your doctor or other health care provider, such as a podiatrist or physical therapist.

Other non-surgical treatmentsexercise, weight management, nutrition, and some pain relievers can help.

Cade Pattersonassociate professor of musculoskeletal health; University of Melbourne and Lana HinmanProfessor of Physical Therapy; University of Melbourne

This article is republished from conversation Under Creative Commons License. please read original article.