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Shoe Orthotics for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 06/10/2011
Clinical Article
Cambron JA et al. – This pilot study showed that the measurement of shoe orthotics to reduce low back pain and discomfort after 6 weeks of use is feasible. A larger clinical trial is needed to verify these results.
Methods- The study recruited 50 patients with chronic low back pain through media advertising in a midwestern suburban area.
- Medical history and a low back examination were completed at a chiropractic clinic.
- Subjects were randomized to either a treatment group receiving custom–made shoe orthotics or a wait–list control group.
- After 6 weeks, the wait–list control group also received custom–made orthotics.
- This study measured change in perceived pain levels (Visual Analog Scale) and functional health status (Oswestry Disability Index) in patients with chronic low back pain at the end of 6 weeks of orthotic treatment compared with no treatment and at the end of 12 weeks of orthotic treatment.
- This study showed changes in back pain and disability with the use of shoe orthotics for 6 weeks compared with a wait–list control group.
- It appears that improvement was maintained through the 12–week visit, but the subjects did not continue to improve during this time.
