Thursday, September 12, 2013

Going Barefoot Does Wonders For Arthritis


There is a wide array of flexible shoes being advertised on the web offering solutions for arthritic conditions and problems, but studies from a medical university in Chicago attest that nothing beats going barefoot in caring for arthritic knees. The less surface insulation there is to a shoe, the better for people with these arthritic conditions.

Firm support shoes designed to provide stability are becoming quite popular and a lot of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee achieve remarkable therapeutic results after wearing them regularly. But these support shoes are linked to considerable higher knee loads which can exert more pressure on the joints than their more flexible counterpart. Flexible shoes offer more weight and load absorption and it is recommended that people with arthritic knee conditions choose flat flexible shoes over support type footwear.

The general rule for arthritic knee conditions is: The foot has to have better proprioceptive sensation, meaning it should be able to receive and respond to sensory stimuli and be capable of detecting the motion or position of the limb to carry out its proper function.

Going barefoot is the best way to achieve this sensation. People with arthritic knee conditions have to now the moment their foot touches the ground to achieve better stability and balance. There's no better way to do this than walking barefoot. Normal neuromuscular reflexes come in to interact with the surroundings and an outright sensational response protects the rest of the leg from any further impact of hitting the ground.

Of course, going barefoot everywhere can not be possible, so as much as they can, people with arthritic knee conditions kick off the footwear when and where they can. Where they can't, it works best to choose footwear with the least amount of surface between the foot and the ground they walk on.

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