Rockers shoes and knee osteoarthritis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The biomechanical effect of rocker shoes in people with knee osteoarthritis.
IRAS ID
186778
Contact name
Stephen John Preece
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 5 days
Research summary
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disorder which accompanies aging and influences the articular cartilage of the knee joint. This disease is strongly influenced by joint mechanics and therefore the way in which the knee joint is loaded during functional activities. Previous biomechanical studies have demonstrated the potential for footwear interventions to alter loading at the knee joint and bring about a corresponding reduction in pain and physical dysfunction. However, this research has tended to focus on footwear interventions which are designed to alter frontal plane loads (the magnitude of the load on the medial side of the knee joint). In contrast, this study will investigate the effect of two footwear interventions, a rocker shoe and a flexible shoe, on sagittal plane loading in a cohort of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Both clinical and biomechanical outcomes will be collected as part of the study and a health control group included to understand how sagittal plane loading differs between patients with knee OA and health individuals.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0502
Date of REC Opinion
18 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion