Although it might seem unimposing, many people may not know that a medical device worn on the foot can be a solution to one of the most common causes of joint pain in the world: osteoarthritis. Also known as “OA,” osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints.
When a person has OA, they often struggle to move freely, finding it difficult to perform common, everyday activities such as climbing stairs and walking. Unfortunately, knee osteoarthritis is a devastatingly common condition, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting that approximately 365 million people worldwide live with osteoarthritis in the knee.
For many people who live with osteoarthritis, the effects are worse than just aches and pains. Some people may find their quality of life impaired because they can no longer engage in the activities they used to enjoy, which could even have negative effects on mental health, as people with chronic pain can often start to feel depressed and isolated due to these limitations.
Enter Apos — an FDA-approved, non-invasive personalized treatment to chronic knee OA pain that works by targeting joint pain at one of its most common sources: gait. Gait is just another word for how a person walks, and it can create a cycle of joint pain that becomes more severe over time.
Joint pain can cause an unhealthy gait, which in turn can lead to further damage to the joint, resulting in increased pain. However, adjusting one’s gait is a practical solution to help patients manage their chronic joint pain.
How Apos addresses joint pain in a unique way
The Apos device is designed to be worn on the patient’s foot, similar to a shoe, but what makes it so special is that it is custom-tailored to the patient’s unique needs and circumstances. The team at Apos uses advanced AI-supported technology to analyze each patient’s gait, calibrating the device to adjust the patient’s walking pattern to relieve their individual pain points, ensuring that the recovery plan is as effective as possible.
The Apos device works by “retraining” the patient’s gait through the use of pertupods — small pods on the sole of the device. These pods introduce microinstabilities, which then force the patient to adjust their walking pattern. This process is fundamental to the device’s ability to enhance proprioception and retrain neuromuscular pathways.
The technology behind Apos leverages two biological processes: biomechanical redistribution and neuromuscular retraining. In other words, the pertupods cause the patient to shift their weight away from painful joint compartments while also forming new connections in the brain that allow the patient to continue walking in this less painful way even when they are not wearing the device.
Why choose Apos
One of the main benefits of using a footworn medical device like Apos as a management strategy for chronic joint pain is its convenience. With Apos, a patient only needs to wear the device on their foot for up to an hour a day at home while going about their daily routine, which requires significantly less of a time commitment than traveling to a physical therapy office and sitting in a waiting room to be seen. This makes Apos an ideal solution for those with a busy lifestyle.
As an FDA-approved medical device, Apos is backed by years of scientific research and development that prove its efficacy as a solution for chronic joint pain. One study* found that 87% of patients who used Apos to treat their knee osteoarthritis did not pursue further surgical treatment after five years. Another found that the Apos device helped improve patients’ function, pain levels, and quality of life in as little as three to six months.
Apos offers several advantages over other common treatments for chronic pain. For example, prescription painkillers only mask the symptoms of pain and further carry the risk of becoming addictive. On the other hand, surgery is costly, requires a long recovery period, and could have dangerous complications. Apos has none of these limitations, addressing chronic pain in a non-invasive way that helps patients learn to walk in a way that causes less pain.
If you are suffering from chronic joint pain and are looking for a convenient, affordable, non-invasive solution to manage your pain, consider a foot-worn medical device like Apos. With this innovative approach to addressing chronic joint pain at one of its most common sources, Apos is revolutionizing pain management — one step at a time. With just an hour a day, you may find yourself among the thousands of people that Apos has helped to live life with less pain and more freedom.
Original press release: https://www.lifeandstylemag.com/contributors/apos-device-offers-relief-for-knee-joint-pain/
