The march pattern influences pain

A study led by a team of researchers from Nyu Langone Health, Utah University and Stanford University, all in the US, explains whether to change the way in which Patients with knee osteoarthritis They position their feet when walking could reduce additional load (joint voltage during movement) and help treat the disease.

The analysis of the march and the pain measurements show that Subtlely adjust the angle of the foot to walk It can reduce knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. This approach can also slow the progression of the condition, a incurable disease deteriorates the cartilage that cushions the articulation.

The position of the foot and the maximum load on the knees when walking

For the study, the research team He recorded the participants walking on a tape in a laboratory Specialized in march evaluation. A computer program simulated his marching patterns and calculated the maximum load which occurred in the inner face of the knees. Next, the team generated computer models from Four new positions of the foot (with an angle of 5 or 10 degrees in or out) and estimated which option reduced the load.

Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Half received six training sessions to walk with its ideal anglewhile the other half received instructions to continue walking naturally. They were obtained Magnetic pain and resonances at the beginning of the study and a year after the intervention. The study results showed that Those who adjusted their way of walking reduced the maximum load on the knees by 4%while those who maintained their normal march pattern increased their load by more than 3%.

The study, Published in the magazine ‘The Lancet Rheumatology’he points out that the sooner patients receive a knee replacement, the more likely there are that they require additional procedures in the future: “although our results should be confirmed in future studies, They raise the possibility that the new non -invasive treatment can help delay surgery“said the main co -author of the study, Dr. Valentina Mazzoli, assistant professor at the Radiology Department of the Grossman Faculty of Medicine of the University of New York.

The findings also revealed that who adjusted the angle of the foot reduced their pain in 2.5 points on a 10 scalean effect equivalent to that of free sales analgesics. On the other hand, those who did not modify their march reduced their pain in just over one point: “together, our findings suggest that Help patients find the best angle of the foot To reduce knee tension you can offer a Easy and quite economical way to address osteoarthritis Early stage, “Mazzoli added.

This solution could replace analgesics

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the main causes of disabilityIt is usually treated with pharmaceutical analgesics, physiotherapy and, in the most serious cases, knee replacement surgery. Experts believe that excess load can, over time, contribute to this condition

Previous investigations have contributed little evidence that changes in march can effectively reduce knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. Some previous essays trained all the participants to adopt the same angle of the foot and found no relief, while others did not compare the intervention with a control group or only followed up the participants for a month. The new study is the first to demonstrate that Adapting the angle of each patient’s foot to their single march pattern can relieve disease symptoms in the long term and can delay cartilage deterioration.

This technique could have a significant advantage over pharmaceutical analgesics. These medications do not address the underlying disease and They can cause liver and renal damage, stomach ulcers and other side effects unwanted if taken for prolonged periods.

“These results highlight the Importance of customizing treatment instead of adopting a unique approach to osteoarthritis. While this strategy may seem complex, the recent advances in the detection of the movement of different parts of the body through artificial intelligence could facilitate and expedite it as never before, “says Mazzoli.

While the authors trusted a specialized laboratory for the new study, a ‘artificial intelligence software that estimates the joint load using smartphone videos And you can allow doctors to perform an analysis of the march at the clinic. Researchers now plan to check if these tools can Identify the most effective walking method for patients with osteoarthritis. They also plan to expand their study to people with obesity.