Article

Several conservative treatments for medial knee osteoarthritis such
as knee orthosis and laterally wedged insoles have been shown to reduce the load
in the medial knee compartment. However, those treatments also present
limitations such as patient compliance and inconsistent results regarding the
treatment success. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of an ankle-foot orthosis on
the knee adduction moment and knee joint alignment in the frontal plane in
subjects with knee varus alignment. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study,
repeated measurements. METHODS: In total, 14 healthy subjects with knee varus
alignment were analyzed in five different conditions: without orthotic, with
laterally wedged insoles, and with an ankle-foot orthosis in three different
adjustments. Three-dimensional kinetic and kinematic data were collected during
gait analysis. RESULTS: Significant decreases in knee adduction moment, knee
lever arm, and joint alignment in the frontal plane were observed with the
ankle-foot orthosis in all three different adjustments. No significant
differences could be found in any parameter while using the laterally wedged
insoles. CONCLUSION: The ankle-foot orthosis was effective in reducing the knee
adduction moment. The decreases in this parameter seem to be achieved by changing
the knee joint alignment and thereby reducing the knee lever arm in the frontal plane.
This study presents a novel approach for reducing the
load in the medial knee compartment, which could be developed as a new treatment
option for patients with medial knee osteoarthritis.
CI - (c) The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2013.

Langue : ANGLAIS