The World Health Organization reports that 365 million people around the world live with knee osteoarthritis (OA). This condition causes chronic pain and can have other negative consequences like reduced activity, worsened physical health, and even psychological distress.
However, just because you have this pain, that does not mean it is something you have to suffer from for the rest of your life. There are treatments that can help reduce your pain and improve your ability to walk normally.
Unfortunately, many treatments for chronic knee pain have shortcomings. For example, prescription painkillers, such as opioids, can provide temporary relief, but they do not address the long-term issues of chronic pain and also carry the risk of becoming addictive. Although surgery does more to address the cause of the pain, it also requires significant recovery time and could result in complications.
A non-invasive solution for chronic knee pain
Enter Apos, an FDA-approved foot-worn medical device and treatment plan that offers a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatment for chronic knee osteoarthritis pain. Backed by decades of clinical research, Apos has helped thousands of patients manage their knee pain effectively. Unlike other treatments like painkillers, which only mask the symptoms, Apos works by addressing the source of the pain at one of its root causes: the patient’s gait.
While gait is just a word for how a person walks, it is important to understand the relationship between gait and osteoarthritis when a patient’s gait becomes irregular. When a patient experiences pain from their OA, they may adjust their gait, which can cause new, different pain. This creates a vicious cycle where one’s body causes them more pain in a misguided effort to compensate for its existing pain.
Apos forces the body to retrain its gait, allowing the patient to walk more healthily and experience less pain. The positioning of the pods on the device is custom-designed to change the patient’s biomechanics and direct forces away from unhealthy joint compartments, providing pain relief. At the same time, the pods create microinstability that increases proprioception and retrains neuromuscular pathways, “teaching” the patient how to walk in a way that will cause them less pain.
How Apos helps patients manage pain and improve mobility
Retraining one’s gait helps with pain management in two ways. For one, while wearing the device, patients shift their weight away from painful joint compartments, meaning there is no longer as much pressure on the parts of the joint that are causing pain. This provides immediate, temporary relief. However, by retraining their gait with the help of the Apos device, patients can also learn to walk in a way that causes less pain.
Gait retraining devices can help with more than just pain relief, though. Patient testimonials tell the story of how Apos helped them restore their mobility. “I am able to walk more,” says one patient, while another adds, “I could walk normally again.”
Chronic knee pain from OA can interfere with one’s ability to perform routine, everyday activities, such as walking and climbing stairs. By addressing this pain, patients can be back on their way to living life as they should, free of the obstacles that keep them from doing the things they love.
Improving patients’ gait means they can once again cross the street safely. Furthermore, improving gait velocity correlates with longevity, leading to better “performance and health outcomes” for patients. Asymmetrical gaits may lead to additional muscular-skeletal conditions in the future.
But you don’t just have to take the word of the thousands of patients who Apos has helped manage their pain and restore their mobility — Apos is FDA-cleared to reduce chronic knee pain from OA and is backed by dozens of clinical studies that prove its track record of success. For instance, one study found that 87% of patients who suffered from knee osteoarthritis and were treated by Apos did not need to pursue surgical treatment at 5 years. This shows the viability of Apos as a non-invasive solution to knee pain management.
Beyond that, Apos is also incredibly convenient for patients. They simply need to wear the device on their foot for an hour a day as they go about their daily routine at home. This means they no longer need to worry about taking time out of their workday to visit a physical therapy office. Instead, they can take back control of their pain management and be one step closer to living life on their own terms.
Whether you suffer from knee pain or an inability to move normally due to the pain caused by your osteoarthritis, Apos is one of the best knee pain relief products on the market. Consult with your doctor today to determine if Apos is right for you and should be the next step in your path to living a life free of chronic pain.
Original press release: https://www.laweekly.com/apos-the-innovative-solution-for-improved-walking-and-reduced-pain/
