Abstract
The effects of lateral wedged insoles on lower extremity alignment in cases of medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee (knee OA) were evaluated. Novel insoles with elastic subtalar fixation, and traditional shoe-insert wedged insoles, were prepared for 97 new female outpatients with knee OA. Randomization was performed according to birth date. Standing radiographs were used to analyze the femorotibial, talocalcaneal and trochanter tilt angles for each subject with and without their respective unilateral insole. In the participants wearing the elastically fixed insole (n = 49), significant correlation was observed between correctional angles with the insole and femorotibial angles without the insole (p = 0.002), and between correctional angles with the insole and talus tilt angles without the insole (p = 0.028) . These significant correlations were not found in the group with the inserted insole (n = 48) . The novel fixed insole leads to valgus angulation of the talus, resulting in correction of the femorotibial angle in patients with varus deformity of knee OA, and may have a similar therapeutic effect to that of high tibial osteotomy.
