The Effect of Biomechanical Footwear on Pain from Knee Osteoarthritis

The effect of biomechanical footwear on pain from knee osteoarthritis (OA) is still unclear and controversial. The purpose of this article is to review the literature with the aim of answering the following question: What is the impact of biomechanical footwear on pain from knee OA? A Cochrane Library and PubMed (MEDLINE) search related to the effect of biomechanical footwear on pain from knee OA was performed. Several authors have reported knee pain alleviation in people with knee OA using biomechanical footwear. However, many of them have also stated that further investigation was required to evaluate its long-run effectiveness and safety, as well as replication, prior to reaching conclusions about the clinical value of this treatment. The cost of biomechanical footwear treatment is around 5,000 US dollars. Considering the weak evidence currently available on the efficacy of biomechanical footwear and its high cost, we do not advise the routine use of that treatment until it can be unequivocally confirmed that it is truly effective for pain alleviation in patients with knee OA.