In a new study, researchers found that sturdy supportive shoes improve knee pain on walking and knee-related quality of life compared with flat flexible shoes.
The research was conducted by a team from The University of Melbourne.
Knee osteoarthritis is a common problem that causes pain and can limit a person’s activities. People with knee osteoarthritis are often advised to wear stable supportive shoes.
However, some experts believe that flat flexible shoes that allow more of a “barefoot” experience may provide more benefit.
In the study, the team assigned 164 patients with knee osteoarthritis to wear either sturdy supportive shoes or flat flexible shoes for at least six hours per day for six months to compare pain and the ability to participate in activities, such as walking.
The participants were equally divided into the two groups and the researchers used standard surveys to measure patients’ pain, activity levels, and quality of life at the beginning and end of the study.
At six months, the team found no evidence that flat, flexible shoes were better than sturdy supportive shoes.
Patients in the stable sturdy shoe group reported greater improvements in pain when walking and knee-related quality of life compared to the flat flexible shoe group.
These findings provide hard data to support clinical guidelines that recommend sturdy supportive shoes for patients with knee osteoarthritis.
One author of the study is Kade L. Paterson, BAppSci(Hons), BPod, Ph.D.
The study is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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