Insoles and footwear in the management of knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

This chapter will review relevant research surrounding the use of insoles and footwear for knee osteoarthritis (OA). In particular, concepts relevant to the clinical application of these treatment techniques will be discussed. This chapter will examine the effects of common insole and footwear types on knee load, OA symptoms and disease progression. Increased joint loading increases the risk of OA progression, but is amenable to change. Given the prevalence of medial compartment OA, insoles and footwear largely aim to reduce the knee adduction moment, an indicator of medial compartment load. Lateral wedged insoles can reduce this moment but do not appear, at present, to slow disease progress..