Lifestyle

Scientists Found a Walking Tweak That Relieves Knee Arthritis as Well as Medication

By Erica Coleman · May 29, 2026

Nearly one in four American adults over 40 lives with knee osteoarthritis — a progressive condition that wears down cartilage, causes persistent pain, and is one of the leading causes of adult disability in the United States. The standard treatment options are anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, physical therapy, and eventually knee replacement surgery. A clinical trial published this month found that a small change in how a person walks may belong on that list.

Researchers at the University of Utah conducted a year-long randomized controlled trial in which participants with knee osteoarthritis were asked to slightly increase the angle of their foot outward while walking — a modification called a “toe-out gait.” The study found that this simple adjustment reduced knee pain as effectively as common medications, and did something the medications don’t: it slowed measurable cartilage damage inside the joint over the course of the year.

The mechanism works through biomechanics. When you point your toes outward slightly while walking, you shift the load across a different portion of your knee joint — specifically away from the medial compartment, which is where osteoarthritis most commonly causes damage in the inner portion of the knee. By redistributing the mechanical stress of each step, you reduce the compressive force on the most affected tissue with every stride you take.

The study, published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at the 2026 Orthopaedic Research Society annual meeting, is notable because it compared the gait modification directly against pharmacological treatment — not against a placebo — and found comparable pain outcomes. Most gait intervention research measures patients against a control group, making direct drug comparisons rare and more meaningful.

The practical barrier to implementing this finding is that changing how you walk is not as simple as taking a pill. Gait modifications typically require initial guidance from a physical therapist or movement specialist who can assess the patient’s natural walking pattern and teach the correct adjustment without creating compensatory problems in the hip or ankle. The degree of toe-out that was effective in the trial was modest — researchers described it as a slight increase from a person’s natural angle, not an extreme or uncomfortable position.

For the 32.5 million American adults estimated to have osteoarthritis — with the knee being the most commonly affected joint — the appeal of a no-cost, drug-free intervention is significant. Osteoarthritis medications carry risks including gastrointestinal complications for NSAIDs and systemic effects for corticosteroids used in injections. A walking modification carries none of those risks.

If you have knee osteoarthritis and are interested in trying a toe-out gait modification, the appropriate first step is discussing it with your orthopedist or physical therapist. They can assess whether the modification is appropriate for your specific pattern of joint damage and teach you the correct technique to avoid creating new strain elsewhere in your kinetic chain. The study’s finding is promising — but the study was conducted under supervised conditions with trained gait feedback. Attempting a significant walking modification without professional guidance can produce compensatory movement patterns that cause new problems.