Vitamin D, Flexible Shoes Crucial in the Prevention and Care of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

According to a press release from Newswise.com, results from a research study on osteoarthritis of the knee will be presented on Thursday November 8 at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

Lead researcher Jun Wang, PhD, will present this study. It is entitled, Low Vitamin D Levels are Associated with Greater Pain and Slow Walking Speed in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.

The press release states that 100 people participated in a two-year trial. All participants were in their sixties and showed signs of having osteoarthritis of the knee. The study included 65 women and 35 men. Blood tests confirmed that forty seven percent had lower levels of vitamin D that is normal. Vitamin D supplements were used in some patients.

The conclusion of the study is that a low vitamin D level is associated with more knee pain and less mobility. Dr. McAlindon, MD, MPH, and associate professor of medicine, in the division of rhematology at the Tufts New England Medical Center and one of the investigators in the study states, "Future results from this ongoing randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial of vitamin D will help determine whether vitamin D is an effective disease-modifying intervention for knee osteoarthitis". Vitamin D supplements are now recommended to prevent osteoporosis and this study may help researchers decide if vitamin D supplements could also be used to prevent osteoarthritis.

Another press release on Newswise.com states that a 2^nd research study, which is also related to osteoarthritis of the knee will be presented on Thursday afternoon at the same conference. This research will be presented by Mondira Sengupta, MD. Researchers participating in this study, entitled The Effects of Common Footwear on Dynamic Joint Loading in Osteoarthritis of the Knee, found that certain types of shoes were better for those with osteoarthritis of the knee. It has been a previously known fact that patients who have a significant amount of stress on the knee joint are more at risk for injury and also for the osteoarthritis to worsen.

The term for this stress on the knee joint is "high loading knees". For this study, 13 women and 3 men who had previously been diagnosed with OA of the knee, were fitted with different types of shoes. The shoes used were clogs, stability shoes, flip-flops, and a flat but flexible walking shoe. The walking gait of the patient was observed and analyzed. The participants were also observed walking barefoot. The results showed that clogs and stability shoes were the ones that put the most stress on the knee joints. The walking shoes and flip-flops put the least amount of stress on the knee joint and walking without shoes produced a similar effect. The shoes (or barefoot) seemed to be beneficial in that they allowed for the foot to flex, which resulted in less stress to the knee.

If these studies are accepted to be valid, consuming sufficient vitamin D and wearing the correct shoes may play an important part in taking proper care of yourself after a diagnosis of Osteoarthritis of the knee. Further studies may indicate whether or not these suggestions will benefit in the prevention of Ostoearthritis of the knee

Source:
Newswise.com