The study compiles the evidence on the efficacy of therapeutic shoes on foot pain, foot function, adherence, health-related quality of life, physical functioning, patient satisfaction, and adverse events among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) mostly suffered from foot
problems that can lead to joint damage and deformity. Therefore, an additional
locally administered therapy such as therapeutic shoes is required. In the
current research, it was determined that therapeutic shoes are likely to be
effective in patients with RA.
The study compiles the evidence on the efficacy of
therapeutic shoes on foot pain, foot function, adherence, health-related
quality of life, physical functioning, patient satisfaction, and adverse events
among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Studies examining the impact
of ready- or custom-made therapeutic shoes were involved in the analysis.
Studies involved comparison of therapeutic versus
non-therapeutic shoes were selected for between-group designs by searching
PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane Central Registry for Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and
EMBASE up to January 19, 2017, and performed quantitative data analysis. In the
case quantitative data analysis not possible, qualitative data analysis was
conducted.
A total of eleven studies selected. No study described
between-group differences for custom-made shoes. Qualitative data-syntheses of
the within-group differences presented weak evidence for the improvement of
physical functioning and alleviation of foot pain. One study described
between-group differences for ready-made shoes, appearing in inconclusive
evidence for recovery of foot function. A small to medium impact for the
improvement of physical functioning and a medium to substantial effect for the
reduction of foot pain was noticed during the quantitative data-analyses of
within-group differences. Whereas, qualitative data-synthesis of within-group
differences exhibited weak evidence regarding the improvement of foot function.
Outcomes demonstrate that therapeutic shoes have proven
to be effective for RA patients. Definitive high-quality RCTs are important to
examine the between-group efficacy of therapeutic shoes among RA individuals.
Rheumatology International May 2018, 38(5):749–762
The effectiveness of therapeutic shoes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Marloes Tenten-Diepenmaat et al.
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