Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) mostly suffered from foot problems that can lead to joint damage and deformity. Therefore, an additional locally administered therapy such as therapeutic shoes is required. In the current research, it was determined that therapeutic shoes are likely to be effective in patients with RA. 

The study compiles the evidence on the efficacy of therapeutic shoes on foot pain, foot function, adherence, health-related quality of life, physical functioning, patient satisfaction, and adverse events among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Studies examining the impact of ready- or custom-made therapeutic shoes were involved in the analysis. 

Studies involved comparison of therapeutic versus non-therapeutic shoes were selected for between-group designs by searching PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane Central Registry for Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and EMBASE up to January 19, 2017, and performed quantitative data analysis. In the case quantitative data analysis not possible, qualitative data analysis was conducted.

A total of eleven studies selected. No study described between-group differences for custom-made shoes. Qualitative data-syntheses of the within-group differences presented weak evidence for the improvement of physical functioning and alleviation of foot pain. One study described between-group differences for ready-made shoes, appearing in inconclusive evidence for recovery of foot function. A small to medium impact for the improvement of physical functioning and a medium to substantial effect for the reduction of foot pain was noticed during the quantitative data-analyses of within-group differences. Whereas, qualitative data-synthesis of within-group differences exhibited weak evidence regarding the improvement of foot function. 

Outcomes demonstrate that therapeutic shoes have proven to be effective for RA patients. Definitive high-quality RCTs are important to examine the between-group efficacy of therapeutic shoes among RA individuals.