According to a study reported at the meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis, Sufferers of knee Arthritis found long distance walking relief by using shock absorbing insoles in their shoes.
Judy Foxworth, a physical therapist at North Carolina’s Winston Salem State University, explained she was motivated to conduct the study because a lot of money is spent on these insoles, yet there has not been much research to prove that they help relieve the symptoms of knee
Osteoarthritis.
Foxworth began her testing by equipping 60 seniors who suffered from knee
Pain with inexpensive shock absorbing insoles. The participants were required to walk at different paces and time intervals and to rate their knee pain both while wearing and not wearing the insoles.
Significantly less pain was reported by the participants after wearing the shock absorbing insoles for six minutes compared to their six minutes of walking without using them.
Even so, Foxworth still has doubts about recommending the shock absorbing insoles. Although the participants reported a decrease in pain, Foxworth could not produce a biomechanical explanation for WHY it works.
Foxworth expected to find some difference in the kinetic variables, but was unable to observe where the insoles were actually absorbing more shock and how they were placing less
Stress on the knee.
Foxworth concluded that above all else, maintaining activity is essential and if the use of shock absorbing insoles provides comfort, then they should be used, whether the benefit can be explained or not.
