The Medical Device that Looks Like a Normal Shoe

According to the CDC, over 20% of adults in the United States experience chronic pain, with 6.9% of those respondents describing their pain as “high-impact” (i.e., causing significant restrictions to their daily activities). That means more than 17 million Americans live with chronic pain so severe that it interferes with their ability to work or enjoy the aspects of their lives that they were once able to without pain. Chronic pain is a very real health issue interfering with the quality of life of millions of Americans.

However, what if there were a solution to this problem that could help patients manage their chronic pain from the comfort and convenience of their own home and without having to resort to drastic, invasive procedures like surgery? Enter Apos, an innovative treatment for musculoskeletal pain in the knee, hip, and lower back, worn on the foot that can help patients reclaim the quality of life they had before joint pain.

How Apos helps patients manage their musculoskeletal pain

Apos is an FDA-cleared non-invasive precision medicine footworn medical device and treatment plan for treating knee osteoarthritis (OA), and FDA-registered for chronic lower back and hip pain. Backed by over two decades of medical research and serving over 150,000 patients, Apos has emerged as a non-surgical alternative to traditional treatment options, such as prescription painkillers, injections, and surgery, offering pain relief with significantly reduced risk of complications.

Apos targets an area of a person’s life that can cause and perpetuate their pain: their walking pattern, also known as their gait. When someone experiences chronic pain in their lower back, hips, or knees, their walking pattern changes, which can put undue stress on the damaged joint and other parts of the body. On the sole of the Apos are “pertupods,” which introduce microinstability to the foot, forcing the wearer to retrain their gait.

The effects of this change in walking pattern are twofold. For one, the device is customized to address each patient’s specific gait and pain points, causing patients to shift their weight away from painful areas. Because of this, they often experience immediate pain relief. Beyond that, using the Apos device also entails neuromuscular retraining, meaning the patient effectively relearns how to walk in a way that is healthier and less painful for their joints, even without wearing the device.

Ultimately, the biggest advantage of Apos over other methods of pain management is its convenience and ease of use. Patients simply wear the device on their foot for up to an hour a day at home as they go about their daily routine — no more needing to take time out of their day to go to physical therapy offices or sit in the dreaded waiting room — and see improvement in as little as three months.

Knee, lower back, and hip pain relief backed by medical research

Indeed, as an FDA-cleared medical device, Apos has undergone rigorous clinical testing and trials that demonstrate its efficacy in helping patients suffering from chronic knee and lower back pain associated with OA. One of the most encouraging results is that 87% of patients who used Apos to treat knee osteoarthritis did not pursue surgical treatment after five years, while 80% of hip osteoarthritis patients avoided joint replacement surgery after five years. This is an encouraging statistic for those hoping to avoid the invasiveness of surgical treatment.

However, even compared to other forms of non-invasive treatment, scientific research has shown that Apos has tremendous potential. For example, a recent study found that Apos had superior outcomes for treating lower back pain compared to traditional physical therapy, with 56% of Apos patients reporting that their pain reduced by over half after 12 months, compared to 26% of a group that was treated with traditional physical therapy. The Apos group also exhibited improved results in walking speed, enabling them to return to their normal pace of life more quickly.

Ultimately, the goal of Apos is to allow people to restore their daily function that may have been impaired by chronic pain. People with OA often struggle with everyday activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, and even taking care of themselves. By giving patients a way to manage their pain more effectively, Apos allows them to take back control of their lives and live life on their own terms, untethered from the shackles of immobility.

If you are living with chronic pain, you should not let your condition interfere with your ability to live a healthy, happy life. If you are interested in learning more about Apos, consult your doctor or physical therapist today and take the first step toward a pain-free life.

Original press release: https://www.americadailypost.com/the-medical-device-that-looks-like-a-normal-shoe/