Effect of Footwear on the Clinical, Functional, and Biomechanical Aspects in Elderly Women With Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) (OA)
Knee Osteoarthritis
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Knee Osteoarthritis focused on measuring Knee osteoarthritis, Shoes, Gait, Biomechanics
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Kellgren and Lawrence grade 2 or 3
- Being able to walk independently for at least 6 hours per day without the aid of canes or attendant to perform their activities of daily living
- Knee pain between 3 and 8 on the visual analogue scale
Exclusion Criteria:
- Previous history of surgery on knees, ankles and hips in the last 2 years
- Neurological disease
- BMI > 35 kg/m2
- Difference in lower limb length > 1 cm
- Prostheses and / or lower limb orthoses
- Having received steroid injections and hyaluronic acid intra-articular knee in previous periods of three and six months respectively
- Present at the knee joint instability (positive test results in the medial collateral ligament, lateral, anterior and posterior drawer)
- OA of the hip and / or ankle incapacitating or diagnosed OA in lower limbs and spine
- Inflammatory arthritis (eg. rheumatoid arthritis)
- Asymptomatic OA of one or both knees
- Dementia or inability to provide consistent information
- Introduction of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and analgesic medications 8 weeks before inclusion or change of dosage of the same after the inclusion
- Being under physiotherapy or acupuncture treatment
- Patients with an indication of prosthesis or orthosis
- Patients who are already using a flexible and non-heeled shoes for more than 25 hours per week (3 ½ hours per day) over the past 6 months
Sites / Locations
- University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
No Intervention
Intervention Group
Control Group
Daily use of the intervention Flexible footwear (Moleca®) for 6 months, for at least 42 hours/week (approximately 6 hours/day, 7 days/week). The Moleca® shoe (Calçados Beira Rio S.A., Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) is a low-cost women's double canvas, flexible, flat, walking shoe without heels, with a 5-mm anti-slip rubber sole and a 3-mm flat insole of ethylene vinyl acetate that provides only protection but no correction. The mean weight of the shoe is 0.172±0.019 kg (range 0.091 to 0.182 kg), depending on size. This minimalist footwear is commonly worn by the elderly of all social classes and its average cost is US$ 6.25.
During the intervention period, patients from the Control Group (CG) were instructed not to wear Flexible footwear (Moleca®) or other similar minimalist footwear. During everyday activities, the CG group was only permitted to wear a standard, neutral tennis shoe. At the end of the intervention period, all CG participants also received one pair of Moleca® shoes at no cost.