Walking analysis and pain measurements show that the adjustment subtly the angle of the foot during walking can reduce the pain in the knee caused by osteoarthritis. This approach can also slow down the progress of the condition, an unpaintified disease in which the cartilage cushion inside an articulation breaks down.
Led by a team of researchers from Nyu Langone Health, the University of Utah and the University of Stanford, a new study explored if the change in the way patients position their feet could reduce additional loading – stress on the joint during movement – and help treat the disease.
For the survey, scientists tested this intervention in 68 men and women with light to moderate knee osteoarthritis, then used advanced MRI scans to follow its operation.
The results suggest that those formed to tilt their feet slightly inward or outside their natural alignment have experienced a degeneration of slower cartilage in the inner part of their knee compared to those who have been encouraged to walk more frequently without changing their foot position. A report on the study is published online on August 12, 2025 in the journal Rheumatology Lancet.
Although our results should be confirmed in future studies, they raise the possibility that the new non -invasive treatment could help delay surgery. “”
Valentina Mazzoli, PHD, co-chief of the study author and assistant professor, Nyu Langone Health
Mazzoli, assistant professor in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine department, notes that previous patients receive a knee replacement, the more likely they are requiring additional procedures in the future.
The results also revealed that those who have adjusted their foot angle reduced their 2.5 -point pain score on a 10 -point scale, an effect equivalent to that of over -the -counter pain medicines. On the other hand, those who have not changed their approach have reduced their pain scores from a little more than a point.
“Overall, our results suggest that helping patients find their best foot angle to reduce stress on their knees can offer an easy and inexpensive way to fight osteoarthritis at an early stage,” added Mazzoli.
About one in seven American has a certain form of osteoarthritis, generally on the inner side of the knee, according to American centers for the control and prevention of diseases. A cause of disability, the disease is often managed with pharmaceutical pain relievers, physiotherapy and, in the most serious cases, knee replacement surgery. Experts believe that excess loading can over time contribute to the condition.
Previous research has provided little evidence that the procedure changes can effectively reduce the knee pain caused by osteoarthritis, explains Mazzoli. Some previous trials have trained all the participants to adopt the same angle of the feet and found no relief, while others did not compare the intervention to a control group or only followed the participants for a month.
The new study is the first to show that the adaptation of the angle of the foot of each patient to their single walking model can alleviate the symptoms of long -term disease and can slow down the degradation of cartilage, according to the authors.
Mazzoli adds that this technique can have a significant advantage over pharmaceutical pain relievers. These drugs, she says, do not deal with underlying disease and can cause liver and renal damage, stomach ulcers and other undesirable side effects when taken for long periods.
For the study, the research team recorded the participants walking on a treadmill in a laboratory specializing in walking assessment. A computer program simulated their walking models and calculated the maximum load which occurred in the inside of their knees. Then, the team generated computer models of four new foot positions – tilted inward or outside 5 degrees or 10 degrees – and estimated the most reduced option.
The patients were then randomly divided into two groups. Half was formed in six sessions to walk with their ideal angle while the other half was invited to continue walking naturally. Pain scores and MRI heels were taken at the start of the study period and a year after the intervention.
The results of the study showed that those who adjusted their approach reduced the maximum load in the knees by 4%, while those who kept their normal walking model increased their charge by more than 3%.
“These results highlight the importance of personalizing treatment instead of adopting a unique approach to osteoarthritis,” said Mazzoli. “Although this strategy may seem difficult, recent progress in detecting movement of different parts of the body using artificial intelligence can make it easier and faster than ever. »»
While the authors relied on a specialized laboratory for the new study, an artificial intelligence software that estimates joint loading using smartphone videos is now available and can allow clinicians to carry out a walking analysis in the clinic.
Researchers then plan to test whether these tools can indeed identify the most effective walking method for patients with osteoarthritis, explains Mazzoli. They also plan to extend their study to obesity.