Effect of a novel insole on the subtalar joint of patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of a lateral wedge insole with elastic strapping of the subtalar joint for conservative treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. METHODS: The efficacy of a novel insole with elastic subtalar strapping and a traditional shoe insert wedge insole was compared. Ninety female outpatients with OA of the knee were treated with wedge insoles for 8 weeks. Randomization was performed according to birth date. Standing radiographs with unilateral insole use were used to analyze the femorotibial and talar tilt angles for each patient with and without their respective insole. Visual analog scale (VAS) score for subjective knee pain at the final assessment was compared with that at baseline in both groups. RESULTS: Participants wearing the elastically strapped insole (n = 46) had significantly decreased femorotibial angle (p