Orthotics part of arthritis treatment

Rheumatologists care for patients with assistive devices such as knee braces or foot orthotics. Although not involved in fitting patients with the appliances, rheumatologists still need to know how to manage these patients and evaluate how their assistive devices work to lessen pain and other problems.

By Kurt Ullman, The Rheumatologist June 10, 2012

“An orthotic is a device meant to assist a part of the body to achieve functional tasks,” says Howard Hillstrom, PhD, director of the Leon Root, MD, Motion Analysis Laboratory at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. “Knee osteoarthritis, KOA, can be treated in many ways, ranging from pharmaceuticals to nutraceuticals, exercise, and surgery, when indicated. Orthotics is a part of our armamentarium and can address pain as well as its root causes.”

Malalignment, high body mass index (BMI), and tissue injury, such as torn ligaments, are the three major reasons for developing KOA and foot problems. Orthotics are designed to address these issues by improving alignment and redistributing joint loads. Based on the concept that lower-extremity structure and function are related, improving structure should help alleviate functional problems.

Use Unsettled

Currently, the use of orthotic devices such as bracing and support remains unsettled. Clinical trials have not yet provided unequivocal evidence that allows practitioners to know exactly the role orthotics can play among patients with KOA and/or foot pathologies.

“I believe that, as a field, we are at a point where we think there may be some groups of patients who would benefit from orthotics,” says Smita Rao, PhD, assistant professor in the department of physical therapy at New York University. “The challenge for the future is identifying who these people are.”

In the interim, she thinks most clinicians tell their patients that, while the science remains contentious, they should try it and see if it works. It helps that the area of science that is the most settled is the one that suggests there are very few adverse effects to the use of orthotic devices. Treatment-based classification is being used more frequently to identify those who are good candidates for a specific device.

Compared with other options, the use of assistive devices is relatively inexpensive, which can be another consideration in the treatment of knee OA and various foot-related problems. More research is needed to clarify which patients may benefit from over-the-counter (OTC) technology and which will require custom-made orthoses.

Conitnue reading in The Rheumatologist

Foot-Pain-Is-Current-or-Past-Shoewear-a-Factor
Foot Pain: Is Current or Past Shoewear a Factor? The Framingham Foot Study, Alyssa B. Dufour, MA, Kerry E. Broe MPH, Uyen-Sa D.T. Nguyen DSc, David R. Gagnon PhD, Howard J. Hillstrom PhD, Anne H. Walker MPH, Erin Kivell, MPH, and Marian T. Hannan, DSc. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 October 15; 61(10): 1352–1358. doi:10.1002/art.24733

Also see
Foot Pain a Burden for Rheumatology Patients in The Rheumatologist