Foot Pain? Custom-made Insoles Offer Relief

July 18, 2008

ScienceDaily (July 18, 2008) — Custom-made insoles known as foot

orthoses can reduce foot pain caused by arthritis, overly prominent

big toe joints and highly arched feet, a new systematic review shows.

A team of Cochrane Researchers found that custom orthoses were safe

interventions for foot pain in a number of different conditions.

However, more research is required to develop an in depth

understanding of their effectiveness.

Approximately one in four people are affected by foot pain at any

given time. It is often disabling and can impair mood, behaviour,

self-care ability and overall quality of life. People suffer from

foot pain for a variety of reasons, but pain is more common in the

elderly and those with chronic conditions such as arthritis. In the

majority of cases, patients undergo a combination of different

treatments, one of which may be custom-made foot orthoses (insoles

moulded to a cast of the foot).

The Cochrane Systematic Review focuses on the results of 11 trials

that together involved 1,332 people. Researchers found that custom

foot orthoses can relieve pain within three months in adults with

rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in children with juvenile idiopathic

arthritis, an early onset form of the disease. Adults with painful

highly arched feet or painfully prominent big toe joints also

benefited from treatment with orthoses over three and six month

periods respectively.

" Custom foot orthoses can be an effective treatment for a variety of

conditions, but there are still many causes of foot pain for which

the benefit of this treatment is unclear. There is also a lack of

data on the long term effects of treating with orthoses, " says Fiona

Hawke, the lead researcher, who works at the Central Coast campus of

the University of Newcastle, Australia.

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