Supportive vs Flexible Footwear in Hip Osteoarthritis

Jack Cush, MD

Feb 25, 2026 6:25 pm

Do shoes make a difference in osteoarthritis (OA)? Common advice often suggests that stable supportive shoes can improve arthritis symptoms in the knee, but does this apply to hip osteoarthritis?

In this Australian study, 120 with hip OA pain were randomized to receive, commercial, off-the-shelf stable supportive (n = 60) or flat flexible (n = 60) shoes that met prespecified criteria. Patients were to wear their randomly assigned shoes for at least 6 hours per day for 6 months. The primary outcome was 6-month change in average hip pain on walking in the previous week (0 to 10), with higher scores indicating worse pain).

A total of 116 completed 6-month primary outcomes. Stable supportive shoes were no more effective at pain reduction than flat flexible shoes (mean difference [MD], −0.5 point [95% CI, −1.3 to 0.2 point]; P = 0.163). Among secondary outcomes, flat flexible shoes showed greater improvement in the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score symptom subscale and quality-of-life subscale, whereas stable supportive shoes showed more improvement in contralateral foot or ankle pain.

Fewer adverse events were noted in the stable supportive shoe group (12% vs . 31% in the flat flexible shoe group).

Researchers did this study to investigate whether wearing stable supportive shoes or flat flexible shoes can reduce pain and other symptoms in people with chronic hip pain due to osteoarthritis. Because of the reported benefit of stable supportive shoes for knee osteoarthritis, the researchers hypothesized that these shoes would also be more effective for hip osteoarthritis, possibly by reducing hip joint forces while walking.

As no superiority was observed, hence choice of shoes with hip OA should be individualized by patient preference. Try it and see if you like it.