Clinical Research on Foot & Ankle
Open Access

The Effects Foot Orthoses on the Quality of Life of Patients Diagnosed with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Copyright: © 2020  . This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic and progressive disease that is reported to affect the foot in about 90% of cases. Off-the-shelf foot orthoses are widely used to treat patients with early RA because they are cost-effective but more evidence on their clinical effectiveness is required. This study aims to strengthen the current evidence for off-the-shelf foot orthoses.

Methods: Thirty-five patients participated in the study (mean age (SD) was 52.4 (13.3) years). None of the participants had received foot orthoses or had contra-indications to their use. Participants were excluded if they suffered from concomitant musculoskeletal disease, endocrine disorders, and neurological disease. For the within subject controlled study design, data was collected at baseline, three months and six months. A biomechanical assessment was carried out at baseline and the chair-side customized off-the-shelf foot orthoses supplied. Every patient completed the Leeds Foot Impact Scale (LFIS) questionnaire at each visit.