調整走路姿勢，可能減輕膝蓋疼痛

People suffering from knee arthritis may be able to reduce their pain without pills or surgery – simply by changing the way they walk. Researchers from three American universities studied 68 people with mild to moderate arthritis on the inner side of the knee. Half of them were taught to turn their feet slightly inwards or outwards as they walked, by just five or ten degrees. The best angle was chosen for each person after testing in a lab. The other half kept walking normally. Participants learned the new walking style over six weekly sessions on a treadmill. They wore a small device on the leg that vibrated whenever their foot drifted from the correct angle. After that, they practised for at least 20 minutes a day. After a year, pain levels in the group that changed their walking had dropped by an average of 2.5 points on a ten-point scale – about twice as much as in the other group. Scans also suggested that the cartilage in their knees was wearing away more slowly. The researchers say the method is cheap, safe and easy to fit into daily life. However, the study was small, and they warn people not to try changing their walking style on their own without first being assessed by a professional.