The Effect of Lateral Wedged Shoes on Medial Compartment Load of the Knee Joint

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis of the knee joint most often starts at the medial compartment, presumably due to its higher loading [1]. Several conservative methods exist to unload the medial compartment, such as the use of valgus braces, canes and laterally wedged shoes. Several studies have shown that the external adduction moment, which is associated with medial compartment load, is reduced by 4-12% when walking with laterally wedged shoes [2]. However, no direct measurements have been performed so far to confirm the load reducing properties of wedged shoes. The aim of this study was therefore to measure the loading of the knee joint in vivo with an instrumented implant and to examine the effect of laterally wedged shoes.