Critical review. part 2.
Specialist footwear as a therapeutic
intervention for patients with rheumatoid
arthritis

Williams, AE

Abstract

Background
Therapeutic footwear is frequently recommended by clinicians and provided for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the
associated structural and soft-tissue problems. The therapeutic aim is to reduce pressure-related symptoms such as pain,which result in reduced general mobility. However, it is unclear whether this footwear achieves the maximum health benefit forthe patient’s individual needs and requirements. The aim of this review is to identify and evaluate the current evidence for theeffectiveness of therapeutic footwear in patients with RA.
Method
A search of the literature from 1986-2006 was carried out. Those studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were criticallyappraised and graded using a pre-identified classification grading system.
Results
Two reviews included footwear in the management of RA interventions. Both these reviews included two studies that
investigated footwear in the RA foot. This review included an additional two studies, one an earlier survey and one recentrandomised controlled trial investigating footwear in the RA foot.
Conclusions
Although therapeutic footwear is often provided for patients with RA and foot deformity/foot pain, there is limitedgood-quality evidence for its therapeutic effect with regards to clinical outcomes. Despite this, footwear does appear to have
an important contribution in the management of foot problems in this patient group. The complexity of providing footwear as a therapeutic intervention is evident from the themes emerging from the papers selected for this review, and with thisconclusion, the reviewer makes recommendations for the focus and quality of future research.

Citation

arthritis. British journal of podiatry, 10(3), 87-92

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Nov 3, 2010
• Journal: British Journal of Podiatry
• Print ISSN: 1460-7328
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 87-92