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Physical therapy shows no advantages to patients with hip osteoarthritis
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Physical therapy was not shown to significantly reduce pain or raise function among patients with hip osteoarthritis, according to a recently published study.
Researchers conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded trial of 102 patients with hip pain levels of 40 or higher on a visual analog scale (VAS) and confirmed hip osteoarthritis. Patients in the active group (n = 49) and the sham group (n = 53) attended 10 treatment sessions over 12 weeks, with 24 weeks of follow-up. Active treatment included education, manual therapy, home exercise and gait aid, when needed; sham treatment involved inactive ultrasound and inert gel.
VAS pain and physical function WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index values, impairments, physical performance, global change, psychological status, and quality of life were evaluated at 13 and 36 weeks.
Ninety-six patients (94%) completed 13-week follow-up, and 83 (81%) completed 36-week follow-up. The differences in function scores and improvements in pain between the groups were not statistically significant, according to the researchers.
At week 13, mean VAS scores were 40.1 mm for the active group and 35.2 mm for the sham group.
Mean physical function score for the active group was 27.5 units at week 13, whereas the mean score for the sham treatment group was 26.4 units at week 13.
Disclosure: Bennell receives royalties for an educational DVD on knee osteoarthritis and from a commercially available shoe from ASICS Oceania. Wrigley also receives royalties for a commercially available shoe from ASICS Oceania.
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