Clinical Question: Are off-the-shel...

Clinical Question: Are off-the-shelf magnetic insoles more effective than nonmagnetized insoles for decreasing lower part pain in adults with nonspecific, work-related twelve inches pain?

Setting: Outpatient (any)

meditation Design: Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)

Allocation: Concealed

Synopsis: Viscoelastic shoe insoles have been shown to decrease nonspecific bottom pain in patients who have to stand as part of their do job-work duties. These researchers sought to determine whether a viscoelastic insole with magnets (Spenco active comfort magnetic insole) would exhibit a greater effect. They listed 89 patients (79 percent women) who rejoined to an advertisement soliciting adults with twelve inches pain aggravated by standing or walking. The pain must have been near for more than 30 days. The authors exclud patients with neurologic deficit and those who had plantar fasciitis. The patients were randomly assigned, using concealed allocation, to wear the magnetic insoles or sham insoles for eight weeks. The static magnets had a bipolar multiple circular array charged to 2450 G with the southward poles directed to the lower part although the surface strength was merely 192 G. Patients were asked not to attempt to determine whether they had the magnetic insoles, and sole 27 percent of patients who had them solveed correctly at the end of the subject of attention The number of patients reporting their answer to treatment as "all better" or "mostly better" after four and eight weeks was no different among the pair groups (33 versus 32 percent at four and at eight weeks). Pain scores forward a 10-cm visual analogue scale also were no different, with the pair decreasing by approximately 2.7 cm during the study

Bottom Line: Typical cushion insoles with magnets are no more effective than cushion insoles without magnets to relieve pain in bodily substances who stand on their feet to work. Another contemplation of these insoles also erect no benefit in treating heel pain (Winemiller MH et al. consequence of magnetic vs sham-magnetic insoles upon plantar heel pain: a randomized controll trial [published correction appears in JAMA 2004;291:46] JAMA 2003;290:1474-8) (Level of Evidence: 1b)

consideration Reference: Winemiller MH, et al. general intent of magnetic vs sham-magnetic insoles onward nonspecific foot pain in the workplace: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Mayo Clin Proc Septemebr 2005;80:1138-45

Used with permission from Shaugnessy AF. Magnetic insoles ineffective for nonspecific lower part pain. Accessed online November 30 2005 at: http://InfoPOEMs.com.

COPYRIGHT 2006 American Academy of Family Physicians

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