Loading...
Options for treating patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knees include analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physical therapy, arthroscopy, and injections with steroids or viscosupplements. Little evidence suggests that any of these interventions provide more than short-term relief. Clearly, options other than total knee replacement are needed.
When the most common type of OA, medial-compartment OA, becomes severe, it can cause varus deformity. A valgus brace, which moves stress forces from the medial to the lateral side of the knee joint (where there is more preserved cartilage), theoretically should benefit patients with OA. However, this form of therapy has not been studied in large populations and is not used of…