Learning to Walk Differently Can Help Knee Pain

A tweak to how you walk might someday join medication on the list of ways to ease arthritic knee pain. In a yearlong clinical trial detailed in the Lancet Rheumatology journal, researchers at the University of Utah, NYU, and Stanford found that patients with knee osteoarthritis who were trained to slightly adjust their foot angle while walking reported less pain and showed signs of slower cartilage breakdown on MRI scans, per ScienceDaily. Their relief, the team says, was on par with what you'd expect from common painkillers like ibuprofen—and in some cases approached that of stronger drugs.

Sixty-eight participants were randomly assigned either a tailored gait change or a placebo version that preserved their usual foot angle. The fix for those in the first group was highly customized: Motion-capture analysis determined whether each person needed to point their toes in or out, and by 5 or 10 degrees; this had to be assessed carefully, as the wrong shift could actually increase joint stress.

After six weeks of treadmill training and a year of follow-up, the personalized group came out ahead on both pain relief and cartilage health. "One of the most appealing parts of the approach was that it did not require pills, surgery, braces, or a device worn all day," the release notes. The approach, still in the research phase, could eventually be delivered via physical therapy and wearable sensors, but the scientists caution against DIY attempts until simpler, clinic-ready tools are developed.