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Osteoarthritis of the Foot: Reducing Pain the Drug Free Way!

Maybe you are familiar with "rocker soles" and foot orthoses...or not.

Rocker soles are a feature on some footwear designs today. As the name implies, the bottom of the shoe is somewhat rounded in appearance.Manufacturers of these shoe styles claim that they are beneficial to persons who suffer from various forms of foot pain. Here is a sample image of a shoe with a rocker heel.



Foot orthoses are inserts that fit inside the shoe.  There are various styles available. Some can be bought off of a store display such as Dr. Scholl's product line; others are custom made and can be obtained from certain health care professionals, such as chiropractors and podiatrists. These products can serve various functions, such as relief of foot pain or back pain.

The question is: do they really work?  A recent study that compared rocker soles and foot orthoses in patients with osteoarthritis of the feet, which is present in at least 35 percent of adults over the age of 35.  The results suggested that either of these two possibilities can help to relieve foot pain, but that the foot orthoses were the preferred method.

If you are interested in the details of the study, click here. As for me, it's exciting to know that folks who suffer from foot pain don't have to rely solely on medication!

Sources: Medpagetoday; Wikimedia

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