This small walking style change can delay knee surgery for years, study finds
The exercise change as effective as medication for knee pain
- A new study has found that adjusting walking style can effectively alleviate osteoarthritis pain and slow cartilage degradation.
- Researchers at the University of Utah conducted a year-long clinical trial, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, on patients with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis.
- The trial demonstrated that gait retraining, involving small adjustments to foot angle, provided pain relief comparable to medication.
- Participants in the intervention group showed slower degradation of knee cartilage and significantly reduced pain after one year, compared to a control group.
- This non-pharmacological approach offers a alternative to traditional pain management and could delay the need for knee surgery.