Altering gait of patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effect of kinesio taping on the biomechanics of gait in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee
IRAS ID
126424
Contact name
Kathleen A Reilly
Contact email
Research summary
Recent research has revealed that people who have osteoarthritis on the inside compartment of the knee have flatter feet than healthy controls and this has been shown to alter their gait. As 80% of knee arthritis occurs in the inside or medial compartment, there may be a significant role for appropriate taping, orthotics or footwear advice to resolve this anomaly in foot posture. This study proposes to investigate the effect that the Kinesio Taping Method has on both static and dynamic foot posture. This tape permits some normal movement but it is limited by a strong elastic force, mimicking the action of the plantar fascia and the medial part of the Achilles tendon which provide a controlling force in normal gait. Latex-free and wearable for days at a time, this tape successfully treats a variety of orthopaedic, neuromuscular and other medical conditions. It not only supports but also rehabilitates through sensory and proprioceptive input. It is proposed to assess the static foot posture of patients with early osteoarthritis of the medial compartment using the Foot Posture Index, a diagnostic clinical tool aimed at quantifying the degree to which a foot can be considered to be flat, high arched or neutral. Gait will be assessed using small inertial units (IMU) which consists of accelerometers and gyroscopes attached to the patients’ lower backs to track projected centre of mass movement during walking, providing measure of gait parameters and global gait quality. An in-shoe transducer which indicates centre of pressure during gait will be fitted to the shoe. After initial assessment, appropriate taping will be applied and the effects of the taping will be assessed in the same way and both results will be compared to the assessments of a healthy control group. These assessments can be carried out within one clinical visit.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/SC/0284
Date of REC Opinion
5 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion