Simple change to gait halves knee osteoarthritis pain, study finds
Training people with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis to angle their feet 5–10° inward or outward reduced pain and cut knee pressure by up to 4%, researchers report
A small change to the way people walk significantly reduced pain for adults with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis, a multinational team of US researchers reported.
Researchers from New York University, the University of Utah and Stanford University tested 68 men and women with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. Half were trained in six sessions to walk with their feet angled slightly — between five and ten degrees inward or outward from their natural alignment — while the control group continued to walk naturally. The group that altered their gait reported roughly half as much pain as the control group, and the altered walking pattern reduced pressure in the knee by as much as 4 percent.
The findings, published in The Lancet last week, indicate that a simple, non‑invasive change in walking technique can relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis and may delay the need for surgery. The researchers said the effect on symptoms was comparable to that produced by some over‑the‑counter painkillers.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in Britain and a leading cause of pain and mobility problems worldwide. In the trial reported in The Lancet, participants had mild to moderate disease; the results do not speak to people with more advanced osteoarthritis or to longer-term outcomes beyond the trial period.
Biomechanically, altering foot angle shifts how weight and force are distributed across compartments of the knee joint. The study measured reductions in knee pressure associated with the gait change and linked those mechanical changes to reported symptom relief. The training consisted of six sessions in which participants were taught and practised the adjusted foot position while walking.
The researchers described the work as the first randomized study to show that a change in walking technique can help manage symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. They suggested that gait retraining could represent a low‑cost, low‑risk adjunct to existing non‑surgical treatment options, though the study was limited to a relatively small group and to mild and moderate cases.
The results add to a growing body of research exploring non‑pharmacologic approaches to osteoarthritis management, including exercise, weight loss, bracing and physical therapy. Clinicians and patients may weigh these findings alongside established treatments when considering options to reduce pain and delay surgical intervention.
Further research will be needed to confirm the findings in larger and more diverse populations, to assess how long benefits persist, and to determine whether similar effects occur in people with advanced osteoarthritis.