Just about everybody experiences lower-back pain at some point. Americans spend at least $50 billion a year trying to make aleviate it, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
There are many sources of lingering back pain – herniated discs, osteoporosis, compression fractures, spinal narrowing, infections, even cancer, according to Dr. Stuart King, a pain medicine doctor at Christie Clinic.
The human spine is an amazing piece of equipment: On request, it can sway gracefully or withstand thousands of pounds of force. But that versatility comes with a price. At some point, just about everyone suffers significant back pain, and ends up searching for relief.
Back pain usually fades with time, but not everyone is willing to wait. When pain flares up, lots of people opt for medication or more specifically, to the use of shoe insoles.
Over-the-counter foot insoles are a popular accessory for people with back pain.
The inserts cushion the feet and absorb some of the spine-rattling shock that comes with each step. Users hope that the extra protection will bring relief to their backs as well as their feet.
Due in large part to television ads from Dr. Scholl's, over-the-counter foot insoles are a popular accessory for people with back pain. The inserts cushion the feet and absorb some of the spine-rattling shock that comes with each step. Users hope that the extra protection will bring relief to their backs as well as their feet.
However, according to Dr. Nick Shamie, assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery with the UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center. "If a patient asked me about insoles, I would say, 'It won't hurt. Go ahead and try it,' " he says. "But there's no evidence to support the claims."
A 2007 report in the influential Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was a blow to anyone pinning their hopes on insoles. After pooling results of six published trials of insoles and back pain, the review authors concluded that there was "strong evidence that insoles are not effective for the prevention of back pain."
They also said there aren't enough data to say if insoles help relieve back pain once it starts.
The bottom line then according to the experts is that while Cushioned shoe inserts may give a break to tired feet, they aren't likely to relieve back pain - http://www.nittygritty.info/
