A Study on the Effects of Lateral-Wedge Insoles on Plantar-Pressure Pattern for Medial Knee Osteoarthritis Using the Wearable Sensing Insole.

Patients with knee osteoarthritis have a unique plantar-pressure pattern during walking, and lateral-wedge insoles are one of the treatment options. Participants were randomly assigned to either the lateral-wedge insole group or the ordinary insole group. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and plantar-pressure test scores were evaluated at the baseline and at 20 weeks. Plantar pressure data were collected using a pressure insole with 89 sensing locations. In the ordinary insole group, the function and total WOMAC scores decreased significantly (function score, 24.8 (baseline) to 16.5 (week 20); total score, 34.9 (baseline) to 24.6 (week 20)). During walking, the transverse width of the center of pressure as a percentage of foot width (%Trans) significantly increased in the ordinary insole group (baseline, 6.3%; week 20, 14.8%). In addition, the values of partial foot pressure as a percentage of body weight (%PFP) on the forefoot (baseline, 30.3%; week 20, 39.2%) and heel (baseline, 28.1%; week 20, 16.9%) also increased significantly in the ordinary insole group. Significant group-by-time interaction effects were observed for partial foot pressure per body weight in the forefoot (p = 0.031) and heel (p = 0.024). In the ordinary insole group, the plantar pressure on the heel significantly decreased (p = 0.011) and that on the forefoot significantly increased (p = 0.023). In contrast, plantar pressure remained stable in all regions in the lateral-wedge insole group. Thus, lateral-wedge insoles may protect against plantar pressure deterioration in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Soreness or sng: a common symptom with differential clinical impact from pain in degenerative lumbar spine diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Soreness is a common complaint in patients who receive lumbar spine surgery (LSS) for degenerative lumbar spine diseases (DLSD). However, soreness is not assessed independently and its impacts on outcomes of LSS remains largely unknown. Sng(pronounced sә-ng, ) in Chinese language is the word with the closest meaning to soreness, and Chinese-speaking people naturally use sng to describe their non-pain 'soreness' symptom. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence and impacts of soreness or sng on outcome of LSS by introducing Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of sng on back and leg. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study recruited patients who receive LSS for DLSD. Participants completed the patient-reported outcome measures at 1 week before and 1 years after LSS. The patient-reported outcome measures included (1) VAS for back pain, leg pain, back sng and leg sng, (2) Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and (3) RAND 36-item Short Form Health Survey. The minimal clinical important difference (MCID) of ODI and physical component health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was used. RESULTS: A total of 258 consecutive patients were included and 50 dropped out at follow-up. Preoperatively, the prevalence of sng was comparable to pain both on back and leg; postoperatively, the prevalence of sng was higher than pain. Leg and back sng were associated with preoperative and postoperative mental HRQoL, respectively. The reduction of sng on back and leg were significantly less than pain postoperatively. Leg sng was the only symptom independently associated with attaining MCID. CONCLUSION: Soreness or sng should be assessed independently from pain in patients receiving LSS for DLSD because soreness or sng had substantial clinical impacts on the outcome of LSS.