|
Aching Feet? Get Better
Shoes and Avoid Magnets
Excerpt
by Amanda Gardner,
HealthDay
Shoe inserts containing magnets don't
provide more relief for people with heel pain than regular inserts.
That's the conclusion of a study
in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association that was funded by an unrestricted grant from
Spenco Medical Corp., which makes insoles and other orthotic devices.
Although magnets are considered
safe when applied to the skin, there's very little scientific
evidence to support their use to relieve pain. Despite this, more
and more people are turning to magnets, with U.S. sales estimated
at $500 million annually and worldwide sales near $5 billion.
Plantar heel pain, or plantar fasciitis,
is a common foot problem that often manifests as knife-like pain
in the heel area. It usually results from abnormalities in the
way some people walk, placing too much stress on the heel bone
and its surrounding tissues. The condition is often associated
with an inflammation of the connective tissue along the bottom
of the foot.
"Heel pain and plantar fasciitis
are due to the excessive rolling in of the foot which puts a strain
on the plantar fascii, which is the band of connective tissue
on the bottom of the foot," says Glenn Gastwirth, executive
director of the American Podiatric Medical Association. The condition
can last months to years, and can also be aggravated by injury,
being overweight or poorly constructed footwear.
The study was led by researchers
at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. They randomly assigned
101 adults with plantar heel pain to wear shoe insoles with an
active magnet or insoles with a sham magnet for at least four
hours a day, four days a week for eight weeks. The participants
kept diaries in which they rated their pain on a scale of "one"
to "10," with 10 being the most severe pain. The strength
of the magnets was comparable to magnets available to the public.
While both groups reported improvements
in symptoms, there were no significant differences between the
groups at the end of eight weeks. Average pain scores decreased
from 6.9 for the nonmagnetic insole group and 6.7 for the magnetic
group to 3.9 for each group. By the end of the study, 33 percent
of the nonmagnetic group and 35 percent of the magnetic group
reported being all or mostly better.
Although the study authors claim
insoles have been found to be effective in relieving the pain
of plantar fasciitis, other disagree.
"Flat insoles with or without
magnets are going to be of little value," Gastwirth says.
"Generally [heel pain and plantar fasciitis] are treated
more effectively not by insoles but by orthotic devices that control
the mechanics of the foot."
Ideally, that orthotic device would
be custom-made for your foot after a podiatrist has conducted
a gait analysis, but nonprescription devices are a good start,
Gastwirth says.
Sometimes a person will also need
anti-inflammatories or other medication. "By far the most
effective way to treat the condition is through the proper support
and control of the foot by orthotic devices," Gastwirth says.
As for the value of magnets, some
experts feel the jury is still out.
"It wasn't helpful in this
study, but is it helpful for other things?" says Todd Schlifstein,
clinical assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at New
York University School of Medicine in New York City. "This
is what we call musculoskeletal pain. Maybe it would be better
for neuropathic pain."
More information
The American Podiatric Medical
Association has information on heel
pain and on the top
10 foot problems.
Reference
Source 101
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
|
