Posted on Monday, 9th August 2010 by Brooke Richmond
Volleyball is fast-paced, high intensity and exhausting. That’s why Beatrice Jirasek loves it.
She’d been coaching girls for 30 years when knee arthritis nearly sidelined her. She felt as though her body was going to collapse underneath her. When painkillers didn’t work, she found the real problem: her shoes.
That doesn’t come as a surprise to Dr. Najia Shakoor.
“What we put on our feet has a huge impact on our knees and our hips,” said Dr. Shakoor.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center use cameras, sensors and 3D software to measure the force that different shoes put on knees. They’ve looked at flip flops, clogs, flat sneakers and supportive shoes.
“For years we’ve been thinking that really supportive shoes are good for our feet,” said Dr.Shakoor.
The study found the opposite to be true. Supportive shoes and clogs put 15 percent more force on knees. More force equals more joint problems.
“While the very lightweight shoes including flip-flops were associated with the lowest forces almost as if someone was barefoot,” according to Dr. Shakoor.
Although she won’t prescribe flip-flops for everyone, she does recommend wearing a flat, flexible shoe to help ease the strain on knees and hips.
It’s a big change for Beatrice.
“I was walking around with these clunky grandma shoes,” she said.
She now wears her new lightweight shoes at least six hours a day and has less pain now.
Doctors at Rush University are developing a sneaker specifically for arthritis patients. The shoe has special grooves in the sole that allow it to bend where the foot naturally bends. Their goal is to prevent hip and knee replacements in the future.
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Tags: Knee, Knee Pain
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