Australian researchers say supportive, stability focused shoes appear to be no better than flat, flexible shoes at reducing hip pain in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA). They trialled the shoes in 120 adults with hip OA, who were randomly assigned to wear either support shoes or normal, flat shoes, to see if supportive shoes helped over six months. They found no meaningful difference between the groups in hip pain improvement, although flexible shoes showed small gains in hip-related symptoms and quality of life, and supportive shoes resulted in fewer reported adverse events. The findings suggest that shoes which were previously thought to be beneficial for knee OA pain don't help, challenging assumptions that more structured footwear might help with hip joint discomfort, the authors conclude.
Supportive stability shoes may not help those with hip arthritis pain
