Personalized Foot Angle Eased Knee Arthritis Pain
A year-long trial also found signs of reduced cartilage decline on MRI scans.
A personalized change in toe direction while walking eased pain for people with osteoarthritis on the knee’s inner side. Benefits after one year were similar in size to those associated with some widely used medicines. The method required no drug, injection or operation. Imaging also suggested that a cartilage-health measure worsened more slowly among participants using their assigned walking pattern.
Researchers first evaluated how small inward and outward toe shifts changed forces across each person’s knee. The tested angles were 5° and 10°. Candidates continued only when one option lowered the load on the affected area. The trial then assigned 68 participants equally between two groups. One learned the foot position that best reduced individual knee stress. The comparison group completed similar sessions while keeping its usual toe direction. Each group received six weekly treadmill-based lessons. The results appeared in August 2025 and provide placebo-controlled evidence that tailoring walking mechanics may address both discomfort and the repeated joint pressure linked with further damage.
- The study included 34 people in each group.
- University of Utah, Stanford and New York University researchers collaborated.
- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs funded the trial.
- The approach was studied in mild-to-moderate inner-knee osteoarthritis.
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