Article

Midfoot osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition of the foot that can be
treated non-operatively by the use of orthotics. This prospective study was
conducted to determine the effects of custom-made semi-rigid foot orthoses (FOs)
and rigid carbon fibre (CF) footplates for the treatment of midfoot OA evaluated
using specifically designed questionnaires. Fifty-seven subjects diagnosed with
midfoot OA were recruited through a private clinic for inclusion in the study.
Subjects were required to complete pre-treatment questionnaires prior to
receiving orthotic treatment. All subjects received a pair of custom-made
full-length semi-rigid FOs and 36 subjects also received CF footplates that were
incorporated into the soles of the shoes worn on the symptomatic feet. Subjects
completed post-treatment questionnaires at six weeks, three months and six months
after receiving the orthotic treatment. The results demonstrated that there were
no significant differences between the results of the subjects who received CF
footplates and those who did not. The results of the questionnaires demonstrated
that subjects experienced significant improvements in pain, activity levels,
walking ability and footwear comfort at all intervals following the orthotic
treatment (p < 0.01). Subjects' satisfaction with the appearance of their
footwear did not decrease with the orthotic treatment despite needing shoes to
fit the FOs and CF footplates. The questionnaires also demonstrated that subjects
were generally satisfied with the orthotic treatment for the management of their
midfoot OA.

Langue : ANGLAIS