Insoles provide little arthritis pain relief new study shows

21 Aug 2013 Specially-angled insoles may not do much to relieve pain for people with knee osteoarthritis, suggests a new review of past studies. The research led by The University of Manchester and Boston found that across 12 trials, people who used so-called lateral wedge insoles rated their pain about two points lower on a 20-point scale than those who used flat insoles or none at all. But when the study team looked only at higher quality trials, including ones that accounted for the placebo effect of simply having insoles, any significant benefit went away. Heel wedges fit underneath the sole of the shoe and are thicker on the outside than the inside, tilting the foot inward. They are designed to relieve pain caused by a certain kind of knee arthritis by transferring loads to different parts of the joint. The wedged insoles can be bought over the counter or can be specially made. Because they are easy to use, heel wedges are "an attractive treatment," Matthew Parkes from The University of Manchester's Institute of Inflammation and Repair, who was part of the study team, said.