Braces and orthoses for treating osteoarthritis of the knee.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Mar 16;(3)

Duivenvoorden T, Brouwer RW, et al

BACKGROUND:
Individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee can be treated with a knee brace or a foot/ankle orthosis. The main purpose of these aids is to reduce pain, improve physical function and, possibly, slow disease progression. This is the second update of the original review published in Issue 1, 2005, and first updated in 2007.

OBJECTIVES:
To assess the benefits and harms of braces and foot/ankle orthoses in the treatment of patients with OA of the knee.

CONCLUSIONS:
Evidence was inconclusive for the benefits of bracing for pain, stiffness, function and quality of life in the treatment of patients with knee OA. On the basis of one laterally wedged insole versus no treatment study, we conclude that evidence of an effect on pain in patients with varus knee OA is lacking. Moderate-quality evidence shows lack of an effect on improvement in pain, stiffness and function between patients treated with a laterally wedged insole and those treated with a neutral insole. Low-quality evidence shows lack of an effect on improvement in pain, stiffness and function between patients treated with a valgus knee brace and those treated with a laterally wedged insole. The optimal choice for an orthosis remains unclear, and long-term implications are lacking.

Note: It’s interesting how committed we can be to certain ‘ideas, concepts and procedures’ when in fact there is (and perhaps never was) any real scientific backing for them(?)….