Foot orthoses and rocker-sole footwear do help osteoarthritis of the big toe, but people seem to prefer the former

Pre-made devices and rocker-soles (when the sole of the shoe is curved) are effective at reducing peak pressure under the big toe in people with first metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis, but new research in Arthritis Care & Research shows that they achieve this in different ways.
A total of 102 people with osteoarthritis of the big toe were randomly split into groups for 12 weeks, during which time half wore a prefabricated foot orthoses and the others wore rocker-sole footwear.

Foot Health Status Questionnaire scores improved in both groups, to a similar degree. But those in the rocker-sole group were less likely to continue using the device, were less likely to report improvement in symptoms, and were more likely to experience adverse events compared to the orthoses group.

The research group concludes:

“Prefabricated foot orthoses and rocker-sole footwear are similarly effective at reducing foot pain in people with first metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis. However, prefabricated foot orthoses may be the intervention of choice due to greater adherence and fewer associated adverse events.”

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Click here to read the original research.

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Image credit: Alex Holzknecht