Designer boots could banish your knee agony

Sheryll's life has been revitalised by the new "designer" shoes

WAITING times for routine surgery have never been longer, the Patients Association has warned, and those in need of knee replacements face the longest wait of all - 107 days.

 

"These findings should be seen as a wake-up call," says Patients Association chief executive Katherine Murphy. "Delayed and cancelled operations can seriously impact on patients."

However, thousands could be spared the pain and potential risks of joint replacement surgery by stepping out in specially-designed, braintraining boots which can banish knee pain by correcting imbalances in posture and the way we walk.

An 18-month pilot study of 1,300 UK patients who had put up with problems for an average of six years found that 86 per cent noticed a reduction in knee pain and 88 per cent reported improvements in mobility, often within weeks of using the joint-friendly AposTherapy footwear.

In some cases the results were so dramatic patients were freed from pain after their first fitting.

Sheryll Holmwood, who has been able to head off surgery by using them, admits: "I know it sounds a bit far-fetched and if I hadn't seen it for myself I would never have believed it but almost immediately I had no pain."

AposTherapy is the brainchild of two Israeli doctors with an interest in sports medicine and biomechanics and the boots work by adding a tiny wobble to your walk.

Dr Amit Mor, one of the inventors, explains: "We realised there was huge medical potential if we could bring patients to the right alignment, where loads are distributed through joints in the right way and where there is symmetry. It takes pressure off the joints and pain is reduced."

Straight away it took away all the pressure on my knee and hip, it was almost instant. It was fantastic

Sheryll Holmwood

The boots work through adjustable pods on the soles which create an almost imperceptible imbalance. This subtle shift forces the brain to focus on an action that is usually automatic and this triggers a cascade of tiny adjustments to posture and the wearer's walk.

Dr Paul Stillman, a GP with an interest in knee pain, says: "The science is fascinating but fundamentally it is very simple. This constant feedback and adjustment enables the muscles to work in the way they should, to protect and support joints. It also supports the correct alignment of the back, hips and knees which releases pressure on painful joints."

The boots are worn for around an hour a day but over time this process maintains optimal alignment and weight distribution regardless of whether the boots are being worn.

Sheryll, 56, a PA from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, who suffered almost constant pain in her hips and knees after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis three years ago, says they are "awesome".

Her doctor warned her that it was only a matter of time before she would need knee replacement surgery, a procedure she was determined to avoid.

An unhealthy trinity of obesity, lazy lifestyles and our ageing population is driving an epidemic of knee problems and a recent survey found that three out of five adults over the age of 35 now suffer problems of some kind.

More than 90,000 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have knee replacement surgery annually and the number of operations is climbing by more than 6,000 every year.

Almost all, like Sheryll, have osteoarthritis, which until recently was thought to be caused by wear and tear. However there is now clear evidence that biomechanics and the way we walk also has a huge impact on joint pain. A study of 2,911 people with osteoarthritis of the knee confirmed that gait analysis can be used to predict patients who will need knee surgery.

Sheryll was taking painkillers to get through the day and tried losing weight, taking glucosamine supplements, fish oil pills and all sorts of orthotics but the pain was getting progressively worse, until she changed jobs.

She says: "There was a guy in the office wearing these really strange shoes. He had injured himself going down a flight of stairs and after trying all sorts of things someone told him about AposTherapy.

"It had made a world of difference."

Sheryll was sceptical and freely admits her husband was less than impressed when she announced she was considering spending more than £1,000 on a pair of "designer" shoes.

Yet as there was no charge for the initial consultation she figured she had nothing to lose.

 

That assessment involved a physical examination and a series of tests where she walked on a computerised treadmill which measured every aspect of her gait and balance.

These special readings were then used to calibrate the four adjustable pods on the soles of the AposTherapy boots.

She says: "When the therapist asked me to stand up I could not believe it. Straight away it took away all the pressure on my knee and hip, it was almost instant. It was fantastic."

Within weeks she was enjoying a narrowboat holiday, country walks and even walking to work.

In all she spent around £1,600 on the footwear and had a year of follow-up checks and adjustments. "I didn't care. I thought, 'what price do you put on your health?' " Some health insurance firms are already reimbursing the cost of the therapy but the boots are not yet available on the NHS.

However GP Gill Jenkins advises: "Any NHS funding decisions would be made locally by Clinical Commissioning Groups, so if a patient has been told they should have a knee replacement it would certainly be worth them having a conversation about funding for alternatives with their GP."

• For more information or a free consultation call 0800 909 8009 or visit apostherapy.co.uk