Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition often treated with surgery or medication. A new, year-long randomized controlled trial investigated whether a non-invasive, non-pharmacological approach could decrease pain and slow the cartilage damage typically observed in osteoarthritis.
In the trial, Scott Uhlrich and other researchers from the NIH-funded Restore Center used real-time biofeedback to help participants adjust their walking pattern. People who received this personalized gait retraining reported significantly less pain, showed reduced knee loading, and had signs of slower cartilage degeneration compared to a control group.
These findings suggest that personalized gait retraining could be an effective, non-invasive treatment for knee osteoarthritis.
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