Correcting foot position: Walking differently with knee osteoarthritis could help

According to a study, osteoarthritis sufferers can slow the progression of their disease by slightly adjusting their gait. According to Professor Dr. Valentina Mazzoli, co-leader of the study published in the journal "The Lancet Rheumatology," this "simple and relatively inexpensive option for treating Osteoarthritis in the early stages" can reduce the strain on the knees – also with positive consequences for the perception of pain.

According to the German Arthritis Aid, around five million people in Germany suffer from osteoarthritis. This disease causes the cartilage tissue in the joint to break down. If the protective cartilage is destroyed, this leads to severe Pain . Those affected can no longer properly place weight on their knee, often do less exercise, and are limited in their daily lives.

Osteoarthritis usually occurs with increasing age and is incurable. Treatment includes physiotherapy, painkillers, and, in the most severe cases, knee replacement surgery. According to the Osteoarthritis Help Center, non-weight-bearing exercise is helpful, "as this improves the nourishment of the joint cartilage and slows the progression of osteoarthritis."

This was recently confirmed by a review study published in the journal "PLOS One" by a research team from the First People's Hospital of Neijiang (China): Along with knee braces, water aerobics and other forms of exercise were the most promising non-drug therapies. The results were compiled from 139 studies involving a total of almost 10,000 patients.

Mazzoli's team, including researchers from New York University's Langone Health clinic, the University of Utah, and Stanford, has now investigated whether changing the position of the foot while walking can reduce the strain on the joint.

For this exercise, 34 men and women with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis were instructed to angle their feet inward or outward by five or ten degrees from their natural alignment. Each participant was tested to determine which foot position suited them best. 34 other affected individuals were given instructions without any suggestions for modification.

They were all advised to walk accordingly for at least 20 minutes a day, the scientists wrote in the journal "The Lancet Rheumatology." Comparisons were made over a period of one year, and the effects of the modified gait on the knee were monitored at the end with MRI scans.