The Effects of Textured Insoles on Balance in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis

• DOI: 10.13189/saj.2018.060102
• Publication Date: 2018-04-14T03:56:51Z
• Authors: Hyoungjin Park
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine

As evidence of the effectiveness of added plantar-surface texture to improve balance has been successful for various populations, it is important to study if textured insoles may increase balance for individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who have compromised the somatosensory function of the affected joint and correspondingly an increased risk of falls. Thus, this study investigated the degree of benefit through the use of textured insoles for improving balance and compared the balance of individuals with knee OA to matched-healthy peers. Fifteen with knee OA and fifteen healthy, aged, gender and BMI matched controls completed this study and were evaluated on balance as measured by a computerized dynamic posturography. There were significant improvements in balance when wearing the textured insoles in both groups, and healthy knee controls showed significantly better balance performances than individuals with knee OA. The benefits of this study for the individuals with knee OA are that this may lead to the development of an evidence-based footwear intervention which is noninvasive, simple to use, inexpensive, allows the user for self-management, and has the capacity to reduce the risk of falls, consequentially improving the quality of life.