Researchers from the University of Seville, Spain, have conducted a clinical trial which concludes that custom-made orthotics were found to be an effective conservative treatment to reduce the symptoms of patellofemoral pain.
Twenty-one subjects with patellofemoral pain were given custom-made foot orthotics. The pain level was evaluated before treatment was applied and again at two weeks and four weeks. At the two-week check-up, a forefoot varus posting was added to the orthotic.
The results show that improvements in patellofemoral pain was significant in all comparisons, and the effect size was large in all comparisons.
The study was published in the December 2011 issue of Prosthetics and Orthotics International.