Great Evidence for Hip OA & PT Intervention
There are few things in life that frustrate me more than seeing a patient with advanced hip osteoarthritis (OA) booked for a total hip replacement…who was NEVER even referred to physical therapy by their GP in all those years during the early phase of their OA.
The purpose of this RCT was to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week exercise program with strength training and lifestyle advice for older adults with OA of the hip.
The patients who received the physical therapy exercise program had:
- A positive effect on pain (moderate effect at post-test and small effect at 3-months follow-up)
- A positive effect on hip function (small effect at post-test)
- A positive effect on self-reported disability (small effect at follow-up)
- A positive effect on the timed Up & Go test (small effect at follow-up)What can we learn from this study? An appropriate exercise program may have positive effects on pain and hip function, which are important mediators of disability. This study provides some evidence of the benefit of exercise in the management of hip OA.
Posted on: September 10, 2005
Categories: Hip
