Effect of Full-Length Carbon Fiber Insoles on Lower Limb Kinetics in Patients With Midfoot Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Study.

Objectives: We investigated the effects of full-length carbon fiber (FCF) insoles on gait, muscle activity, kinetics, and pain in patients with midfoot osteoarthritis (OA). Design: We enrolled 13 patients with unilateral midfoot OA (mild: Visual Analog Scale [VAS] range, 1-3; moderate, VAS range, 4-7) and healthy controls. All participants were asked to walk under two conditions: with and without FCF insole. The outcome measures were ground reaction force, quantitative gait parameters, electromyography activities and pain severity (VAS). Results: In the patients with moderate midfoot OA, significantly longer gait cycle and higher muscle activity of lower limb during loading-response phase were observed while walking without FCF insoles. In the mild midfoot OA group, there was no significant difference in VAS score (without, 2.0 +/- 1.0 vs. with, 2.0 +/- 0.5) with FCF insole use. However, significantly reduced VAS score (without, 5.5 +/- 1.4 vs. with, 2.0 +/- 0.5) and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior and increased muscle activity of gastrocnemius were observed in the moderate midfoot OA group by using an FCF insole (P

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