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We examined if a subject-specific amount of lateral wedge added to a foot orthosis could alter knee mechanics to potentially reduce the progression of knee osteoarthritis in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis. Twenty individuals with medial knee osteoarthritis (>/=2 Kellgren Lawrence grade) were prescribed a custom laterally wedged foot orthotic device. The prescribed wedge amount was the minimal wedge amount that provided the maximum amount of pain reduction during a lateral step-down test. Following an accommodation period, all subjects returned to the laboratory for a gait analysis. Knee mechanics were collected as the subjects walked at an intentional walking speed. Walking in the laterally wedged orthotic device significantly reduced the peak adduction moment during early stance (p 7 degrees; however, no such issues were reported in this study. Therefore, providing a custom laterally wedged orthotic device may potentially increase compliance while still potentially reducing disease progression.
Butler et al. (Fri,) studied this question.