Long-term use of minimal footwear on pain, self-reported function, analgesic intake, and joint loading in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial

Author(s)

Trombini-Souza, Francis ^[1] ; Matias, Alessandra B. ^[1] ; Yokota, Mariane ^[1] ; Butugan, Marco K. ^[1] ; Goldenstein-Schainberg, Claudia ^[2] ; Fuller, Ricardo ^[2] ; Sacco, Isabel C. N. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Physiotherapy Speech & Occupat Therapy, BR-05360160 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Div Rheumatol, BR-05360160 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: CLINICAL BIOMECHANICS; v. 30, n. 10, p. 1194-1201, DEC 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 10

Abstract

Background: Efforts have been made to retard the progressive debilitating pain and joint dysfunction in patients with knee osteoarthritis. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of a low-cost minimalist footwear on pain, function, clinical and gait-biomechanical aspects of elderly women with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Throughout a randomized, parallel and controlled clinical trial, fifty-six patients with medial knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 28) or control group (n = 28), and assessed at baseline and after three and six months. The intervention involved wearing Moleca footwear for at least 6 h/day, 7 days/week, over 6 months. The pain subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index was the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were the other subscales, Lequesne score, distance walked in 6 min, knee oedema and effusion, knee adduction moment and paracetamol intake. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed using two-way casewise ANOVA (< .05) and Cohen's d coefficient. Findings: Intervention group showed improvement in pain (effect size: 1.41, p < .001), function (effect size: 1.22, p = .001), stiffness (effect size: 0.76, p = .001), Lequesne score (effect size: 1.07, p < .001), and reduction by 21.8% in the knee adduction moment impulse (p = .017) during gait wearing Moleca (R). The analgesic intake was lower in the intervention group. Interpretation: The long-term use of Moleca (R) footwear relieves pain, improves self-reported function, reduces the knee loading while wearing Moleca (R), refrains the increase of analgesic intalce in elderly women with knee ostearthritis and can be considered as a conservative mechanical treatment option. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/03300-0 - Therapeutic influence of a low cost and flexible non-heeled shoes on clinical characteristics and gait kinematics in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis
• Grantee: Alessandra Bento Matias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 11/01640-8 - Therapeutic effect of a flexible and non-heeled footwear on the clinical, functional feature and gait biomechanics in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial
• Grantee: Francis Trombini de Souza
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 11/03069-6 - Effect of the chronic use of a flexible and non-heeled shoes on the clinical and kinetic gait characteristics in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis
• Grantee: Mariane Yokota
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation