Table of Contents:
Introduction
Knee pain is a pervasive problem that affects around 1 in 4 adults in the US. Whether it’s a knee injury from sports, bone conditions like osteoarthritis, or simply due to prolonged standing at work, knee pain significantly impacts daily life activities. Orthotic insoles are a sleek, engineered solution that’s been gaining attention recently. These shoe inserts are proven to support your feet, improve gait issues, enhance mobility, and reduce pain. However, can they also help your knees?
Continue reading to learn everything about orthotics, their proper use, and how they can benefit individuals experiencing knee pain.
The Link Between Foot and Knee Pain
Your legs, feet, and joints all work in sync with each other to facilitate movement, balance, and a smooth gait. The feet are the foundation of your body’s movement. If they are not aligned due to issues like flat feet and high arches, alignment problems arise. This misalignment of your lower leg puts extra stress on the knee joints, creating foot imbalances and increased knee pain.
Foot Biomechanics and Knee Pain
Most people associate knee pain with old age, health conditions, injury, and more, while completely ignoring foot biomechanics. Doctors, especially podiatrists and physical therapists, emphasize that your walking style and foot position affect the joints, starting from the ankle, and can even impact the lower back.
Likewise, conditions such as overpronation (excessive inward rolling of the ankles) and oversupination (excessive outward rolling) cause leg rotation, resulting in abnormal stress on the knees. Excessive pressure, rotation, and related foot problems inevitably lead to wear of the knee cartilage.
How The Way You Walk Affects Knee Pain
Your gait is your walking pattern, where the joints from your ankles to your hips move in harmony. Your muscle strength and foot alignment are two significant factors that define your gait. However, when you are dealing with knee or foot problems, your gait is disrupted, leading to increased pressure concentrated on one side of your knee. With uneven weight distribution on the knee joints, pain accelerates joint wear and tear.
Gait analysis studies have shown that working on improving your gait abnormalities reduces the risk of various painful conditions related to the lower leg and joints. Orthotics are a game changer in adjusting foot positioning, distributing weight evenly across the joints, and relieving stress on the knee.
How Orthotics Help With Knee Pain
Before explaining how orthotics can ease knee pain, it’s necessary to understand that the orthotics you choose should correct the foot, knee, or leg problems you are facing. If the orthotics are not the right fit, they can increase the pain instead of reducing it. Although wearing orthotic insoles might feel different at first, they should not make you feel uncomfortable or cause more pain.
In situations like these, determine the cause of the pain, consider adjusting the orthotic insoles according to your foot needs, and consult your healthcare professional to rule out any underlying health conditions that may be causing the pain.
Coming back to the topic, here are the ways orthotics ease knee pain:
Improving Alignment
As mentioned earlier, the alignment of your feet is related to knee pain. A study from the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy highlighted that in conditions like Runner’s knee, using custom orthotic insoles improved knee tracking, limb alignment, and reduced excessive stress on the knee joints. Orthotics also redistribute pressure and act as a shock absorber. With every step you take, orthotics help reduce stress, decrease swelling and inflammation, and improve joint health.
Improved Proprioception
When your knees are stable, activities like walking, getting up from a chair, or climbing stairs become easy and pain-free. Orthotics aid in increasing knee stability by enhancing your body’s balance, awareness of surroundings during movement (proprioception), and strengthening the muscles surrounding the knees, allowing them to respond more quickly. With the proper use of orthotics, your neuromuscular control of the muscles and joints improves significantly.
The right orthotic insoles not only reduce knee pain but also provide a practical solution for chronic knee conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Besides cushioning the feet and relieving knee pain, orthotics improve posture with consistent use.
Spreading The Knee Pressure
A significant function of orthotic insoles is to reduce pressure throughout the body, especially the knee joints. For people affected by osteoarthritis, the correct use of orthotics decreases stress on the sore parts of the joints. Gradually, decreased pressure slows down joint damage and relieves discomfort.
While knee pain and other leg problems can be improved with over-the-counter (OTC) orthotic insoles, it is best to opt for custom orthotics. Minor issues can arise, which require your orthotics to be reshaped and adjusted to address the problems and suit your lifestyle.
Although various issues can cause knee pain, foot and back problems must not be ignored when treating knee pain. Podiatrists
Foot problems like high arches or flat feet are also linked to knee and back pain. If your feet don’t have the proper support they require, it can throw off your posture and alignment, resulting in strain on your knees and lower back. Here are some common foot and back problems that affect the way you move and even cause knee pain:
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Tendonitis
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Nerve pain (diabetic neuropathy)
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Plantar Fascitis
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Excessive rolling of feet (inward or outward)
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Callus formation on heels
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Bunions
Many orthopedic surgeons, podiatrists, and physical therapists view orthotics as a practical component of the treatment puzzle for knee pain and related issues. While orthotics may not be a cure-all, when combined with strategies such as adequate physical therapy, weight management, and anti-inflammatory treatments, the outcomes improve significantly.
Orthotics work best when paired with exercises, a balanced diet, healthy habits, and, most importantly, a sturdy fit that aligns your feet, supports the arches, and makes everyday movement a pain-free affair.
Ongoing monitoring, review, and adjustment of orthotics is also necessary, especially in growing children, older adults, athletes, and people experiencing gait changes. With regular check-ins and orthotic adjustments, you can walk more comfortably, experience less pain, and enjoy life to the fullest.
References:
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(2015, May 12). Foot orthoses and patellofemoral pain: frontal plane effects during running | Lower Extremity Review Magazine. Lower Extremity Review Magazine | Rehabilitation • Trauma • Diabetes • Biomechanics • Sports Medicine. https://lermagazine.com/cover_story/foot-orthoses-and-patellofemoral-pain-frontal-plane-effects-during-running
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Bennell, K. L., Bowles, K.-A., Payne, C., Cicuttini, F., Williamson, E., Forbes, A., Hanna, F., Davies-Tuck, M., Harris, A., & Hinman, R. S. (2011). Lateral wedge insoles for medial knee osteoarthritis: 12 month randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 342. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d2912
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Bonifácio, D., Richards, J., Selfe, J., Curran, S., & Trede, R. (2018). Influence and benefits of foot orthoses on kinematics, kinetics and muscle activation during step descent task. Gait & Posture, 65, 106–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.07.041
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Collins, N., Crossley, K., Beller, E., Darnell, R., McPoil, T., & Vicenzino, B. (2009). Foot orthoses and physiotherapy in the treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome: randomised clinical trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(3), 163–168. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a1735
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Nall, R. (2019, March 19). Orthotics: Are They the Answer to Your Foot, Leg, or Back Pain? Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/health/bone-health/orthotics
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Yu, L., Wang, Y., Yang, J., Wang, J., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Effects of orthopedic insoles on patients with knee osteoarthritis: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 53(5), jrm00191. https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-2836
