Effects of prototype shoes for knee osteoarthritis in female adults – Evaluations of gait, clinical outcome, and body composition

Walking is an important physical activity for living a healthy life. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful disease of the knee joint and one of the factors that inhibit walking. Recently, about 10% of women in their 40s have knee OA, and the rate increases with age, with a reported prevalence of about 80% in women in their 80s in Japan (Yoshimura, N et al. 2009). An increase in varus knee joint moment during walking is one of the causes of knee OA progression (Foroughi, N et al. 2009) and its decrease may be important in delaying the onset of knee OA. Thus, we developed prototype shoes (PTS) that aim to reduce varus knee joint moment by improving cushioning at ground contact and guiding the center of pressure to the medial side, through the hardness and structure of the midsole and outsole.