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Can a pair of medical shoes give relief from aches?
Madam Lee How Teck, 46, was resigned to living with the pain in her lower back and knees, which has been plaguing her for almost a decade.
The general manager in the insurance industry never knew when it would be a bad day for her: “The pains came only in the morning when I had difficulty getting out of bed. Even walking to the vending machine was
hard.”
She was recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition of the joints that most commonly affects the knees, spine and hips.
“It is commonly encountered as part of the ageing process and so it is usually seen in older age groups, such as the over-60s,” notes Dr Wilson Wang, senior consultant at National University Hospital.
Treatments range from pain relief medication such as analgesics and supplements to corrective methods such as physiotherapy and, in more severe cases, surgery such as joint replacement or joint realignment.
Dr Lim Lian Arnh, orthopaedic surgeon at Raffles Hospital, says: “Today’s wide range of treatment options for osteoarthritis gives patients an excellent chance of pain relief and activity restoration.”
But medication and physiotherapy were not effective for Madam Lee until she tried a new non-invasive technology from Israel.
She is one of about 100 people in Singapore who have tried out the AposTherapy System since it was introduced here in February.
The system requires a patient to wear a personalised medical device that consists of two pods attached to each shoe that corrects body alignment and re-educates muscle control.
Its simple treatment programme involves a person wearing the shoes while engaged in regular activities such
as walking and standing, for an increasing amount of time, starting from five to 10 minutes a day, for at least six months.
Dr Lim notes: “AposTherapy has been shown to be beneficial in patients not keen on surgery and those recovering from surgery.”
Madam Lee says she experienced significant pain relief within three weeks of starting on AposTherapy.
Referred to the clinic by an acquaintance she met at work, she has been receiving the treatment for six
months.
“I don’t wake up in the morning with knee or back pains. I still have some pain when I walk up and down the stairs but it is far less than what it used to be,” she says.
Retiree Yap Yok Chu, 67, also says her condition has improved to the point where she is now able to stand comfortably for up to three hours. Before she started the therapy six months ago, she would feel pain in her
knees after standing for just 10 minutes.
AposTherapy is not cheap. After an initial 90-minute assessment at no charge, treatment starts from almost $6,000 for a six-month package. In comparison, physiotherapy, which also works to strengthen muscles, costs from $100 to $250 for an hour-long session. The length of treatment period differs
for each patient.
Mr Guy Spigelman, spokesman for the AposTherapy Centre based in Camden Medical Centre, also cautioned that the treatment is not suitable for everyone.
“Some patients have been rejected because they had complications from other conditions or because they had an unsuitable walking gait. For example, if some of them could not walk without a walking stick,” he said.
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