Knee osteoarthritis: A different gait could help
New York/Neijiang. According to a study, osteoarthritis sufferers can slow the progression of their disease by making slight adjustments to their gait. According to Valentina Mazzoli, co-leader of the study published in the journal "The Lancet Rheumatology," this "simple and relatively inexpensive option for treating early-stage osteoarthritis" can reduce the strain on the knees—also with positive effects on pain perception.
According to the German Arthritis Aid organization, approximately five million people in Germany suffer from osteoarthritis. In this disease, the cartilage tissue in the joint breaks down. If the protective cartilage is destroyed, it leads to severe pain. Those affected can no longer bear proper weight on their knee, often participate less in sports, and are limited in their daily lives.
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Osteoarthritis usually occurs with age and is incurable. Treatment includes physiotherapy, painkillers, and, in the most severe cases, knee replacement surgery. According to the Osteoarthritis Helpline, 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.
The team led by Valentina Mazzoli, with researchers from the Langone Health clinic of New York University, the University of Utah and Stanford, has now investigated whether a change in the position of the foot when 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.
The results indicate that the participants who corrected their foot position experienced a slower rate of cartilage degradation on the inner side of the knee. "Although our results need to be confirmed in future studies, they suggest the possibility that the new, non-invasive treatment could help delay surgery," Mazzoli is quoted as saying in the press release.
In addition, according to the participants, pain was reduced by 2.5 points on a ten-point scale. According to the press release, this is "an effect equivalent to that of over-the-counter painkillers."
"These results underscore the importance of personalized treatment rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to osteoarthritis," explained co-principal investigator Mazzoli. "While this strategy may sound challenging, recent advances in detecting the movement of different body parts using artificial intelligence could make it easier and faster than ever before."
RND/dpa
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