Effect of heeled shoes on joint symptoms and knee osteoarthritis (OA) in older adults: a 5-year follow-up study

Abstract

Objective: our aims were to examine the effects of heeled shoes on incident knee OA and joint pain. Methods: we used longitudinal data from the Chingford 1000 Women Study (Chingford Study); a prospective cohort of women aged ≥50 years. Participants with musculoskeletal disorders and/or a history of knee-related injury/surgery were excluded. Participants were followed for up to 5-years for incident outcomes including; i) radiographic knee OA (RKOA) and ii) joint pain (feet, knees, hips and back). Footwear data including ever worn heels ≥2 inches and, daytime/evening hours (per week) spent wearing heeled shoes over five-decades (ages <20, 20-30, 30-40, >50 years) were available at Year 10 whilst knee radiographs and joint symptom data were also collected at Year 15. Cumulative time spent wearing heeled shoes was calculated for women reporting ever use of heeled shoes (≥2 inches). Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between exposures and outcomes (from years 10 to 15).Results: 356 women were eligible at Year 10 with the median (IQR) age 60 (56 to 65) years. Compared to non-use, ever use of heeled shoes (≥2 inches) was not associated with incident RKOA (1.35, 95% CI 0.56 to 3.27). No association was observed between increasing cumulative time spent wearing heels and incident outcomes. Conclusion: compared to the non-use of heeled shoes, ever use of heels (≥2 inches) was not associated with incident RKOA and incident joint symptoms, respectively. Further, increasing cumulative time spent wearing heels was not associated with any of our outcomes.

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ORCID for Charlotte Dando: orcid.org/0000-0002-6954-4212

ORCID for Catherine Bowen: orcid.org/0000-0002-7252-9515

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