The Effect of Orthotic Treatment on Midfoot Osteoarthritis Assessed Using Specifically Designed Patient Evaluation Questionnaires

Abstract

Midfoot osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition of the foot that can be treated non-operatively by the use of orthotics. This prospective study was conducted to determine the effects of custom-made semi-rigid foot orthoses (FOs) and rigid carbon fibre (CF) footplates for the treatment of midfoot OA evaluated using specifically designed questionnaires. Fifty-seven subjects diagnosed with midfoot OA were recruited through a private clinic for inclusion in the study. Subjects were required to complete pre-treatment questionnaires prior to receiving orthotic treatment. All subjects received a pair of custom-made full-length semi-rigid FOs and 36 subjects also received CF footplates that were incorporated into the soles of the shoes worn on the symptomatic feet. Subjects completed post-treatment questionnaires at six weeks, three months and six months after receiving the orthotic treatment. The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences between the results of the subjects who received CF footplates and those who did not. The results of the questionnaires demonstrated that subjects experienced significant improvements in pain, activity levels, walking ability and footwear comfort at all intervals following the orthotic treatment (p < 0.01). Subjects' satisfaction with the appearance of their footwear did not decrease with the orthotic treatment despite needing shoes to fit the FOs and CF footplates. The questionnaires also demonstrated that subjects were generally satisfied with the orthotic treatment for the management of their midfoot OA.