COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF LATERAL HEEL WEDGES FABRICATED FROM POLYPROPYLENE AND ETHYLENE VINYL ACETATE ON PAIN, FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
Keywords:
Knee osteoarthritis; lateral heel wedge; polypropylene; ethylene vinyl acetate; pain; functional disability; quality of life.Abstract
Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic musculoskeletal condition commonly associated with pain, stiffness, functional disability, and reduced quality of life. Lateral heel wedges are used as a conservative biomechanical intervention to redistribute loading away from the medial compartment of the knee. However, limited evidence is available regarding whether the material used to fabricate the wedge influences clinical outcomes.
Objective: To determine the comparative effectiveness of lateral heel wedges fabricated from polypropylene (PP) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) on pain, functional disability, and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Methodology: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, over six months. Fifty patients with clinically diagnosed medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (Grade I–III), aged above 35 years, were randomly allocated into two equal groups. Group A received PP lateral heel wedges, while Group B received EVA lateral heel wedges. Outcomes were assessed using the WOMAC and SF-36. Data were analyzed using paired-sample and independent-sample t-tests, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: The mean age of participants was 49.34 ± 6.44 years. Both groups showed significant improvements following intervention (p < 0.05). Between-group analysis demonstrated significantly greater improvement with EVA than PP in overall clinical outcomes, including pain, stiffness, functional status, and quality of life (all p < 0.001). For example, the overall WOMAC score showed a significant between-group difference (p < 0.001), while the overall SF-36 score also demonstrated a significant difference (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Both PP and EVA lateral heel wedges were effective in improving clinical outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis; however, EVA demonstrated significantly greater overall benefits than PP. EVA may therefore be a more effective material for lateral heel wedges in improving symptoms, function, and quality of life.
