Osteoarthritis affects around 10 million people in the UK, 5.4 million of which have Knee Osteoarthritis and 3.2 million have Hip Osteoarthritis. That is a huge number of people who are in pain when on their feet. Modern societies are struggling with the sheer number of people now waiting for Knee or Hip replacements and the numbers are due to rise.
Many standard shoes claim to help people struggling with arthritic pain when they walk, but only one has any clinical evidence behind its claims and that is the Apos Shoe. This shoe was designed by two surgeons who could see the problems society was facing and wanted to find a non invasive solution to Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis. They looked at the forces that run through the leg when you place your foot on the floor while you walk.
How does the APOS Shoe help with Osteoarthritis Pain?
They saw that in people with Osteoarthritis the forces didn’t run centrally through the knee and hip. As a result inflammation and wear occurred in the joint. They started to try to understand how they could alter these forces when your foot is placed on the floor, and whether moving these forces would improve the pain people were feeling while walking.
They took an old shoe and a tennis ball cut in half, and worked out that if they altered the position of the “tennis ball”, it would alter the forces running up the leg. If the force was taken away from the painful area, it lowered the pain and the patient could walk again. In many cases the pain was completely removed by altering the forces running through the leg.
What happens when you take the APOS Shoe off?
This pain relief only works while the shoe is being worn, however, because the “pod” on the bottom of the shoe isn’t flat, it creates a slight wobble. This wobble forces the muscles of your legs to activate, and over time they get stronger, supporting the leg in the pain-free position.
The APOS shoe is considered a training aid, it allows the patient to walk with no pain and as they walk, they get stronger. This in turn creates a long term resolution to their Osteoarthritic pain. This shoe has undergone years of research culminating in NICE approving it for use within the NHS.
The APOS shoe isn’t an instant fix, the pain goes instantly whilst wearing the shoes, but can take up to a year of use for the muscles to adapt enough to stop the Osteoarthritis pain while you are not wearing the shoes. This is why the APOS program lasts a year.
How to I get the APOS shoe for Osteoarthritis?
The APOS shoe is only currently available in limited NHS trusts in the UK. So at the present time it is only widely available through private providers. However, if you are based in the Warwickshire area, we are fully trained and are able to assess and provide these shoes. More information on that process can be found here.
We have found these shoes to be incredibly effective, we start to see changes in patients after around 3 months of use, with them saying they can walk further, are in less pain when not wearing the shoes and can walk up stairs again without pain. Several of our clients have now turned down their Knee replacement surgeries due to these shoes.
We run “Come and Try” days regularly so you can learn more about these shoes, try them on and see whether we can improve your pain on walking. We also off a free 90 minute full assessment so we can assess whether these shoes would work for you. If you fancy trying these shoes out, get in contact and we can arrange for a free, no obligation trial.
