Gait training may relieve pain from knee osteoarthritis
In the journals
- Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
People who have knee osteoarthritis may have another option for managing their pain: gait training.
Researchers enrolled 68 people, average age 64, with mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis in the medial side of the knee (the inside of the leg), the most common form of knee osteoarthritis. Everyone first received a baseline MRI scan of their knees and walked on a treadmill to record the mechanics of their gait. Participants were then divided into two groups and did six weeks of training. People in one group were taught to change their foot angle to reduce pressure on their knee’s medial side. The others continued to walk with their natural gait. After the training period, everyone was encouraged to follow their walking patterns for one year.
At the follow-up, the researchers found that the people in the gait training group reported less pain and had less knee cartilage damage compared with those in the other group. Some participants who altered their gait said that the decrease in pain was similar to relief they had from over-the-counter or prescription pain medication. The results were published in the October 2025 issue of The Lancet Rheumatology.
Image: © Oleg Breslavtsev /Getty Images
About the Author
Matthew Solan, Former Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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