WASHINGTON — The box might say those ugly, thick-soled shoes will ease knee strain. But do they really work?
A new study suggests they are no better than a good pair of sneakers.
Researchers in Australia tested out both kinds of shoes on 164 patients — more than 50 of whom had been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis.
Half of the study subjects wore special shoes with modified midsoles on a daily basis while the others wore conventional walking shoes.
The researchers found there really wasn’t any difference between the two types of shoes. Both produced similar results, reducing pain and improving knee function in about half of study participants over a six-month period.
The findings were reported in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
