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Hip injury, 'giving way' linked to pain exacerbation in OA
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Hip injuries, and instances of an individual’s hip “giving way” or buckling, are significantly linked to pain exacerbation in patients with symptomatic hip osteoarthritis, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.
“Osteoarthritis is common among older adults and joint pain is the hallmark symptom of this condition,” Kai Fu, MBBS, MS, of the University of Sydney Institute of Bone and Joint Research, told Healio Rheumatology. “The mechanisms of pain in OA are complex and poorly understood. To date, highly effective and safe treatments for OA and its related pain are still limited.”
To analyze the link between hip injury, as well as instances of buckling, and hip pain exacerbation among patients with hip OA, the researchers conducted an internet-based case-crossover study that followed participants for 90 days as they completed a series of online questionnaires, at baseline and in 10-day intervals. Fu and colleagues recruited 252 participant using websites and newspapers in Australia from May 2015 to June 2017. According to the researchers, each participant acted as their own control to assess the effects of transient exposures on events such as pain exacerbation.
In addition to the regular questionnaires, participants used the study website to complete surveys for episodes of hip pain exacerbation, which the researchers defined as an increase of two points in pain intensity, on a scale of zero to 10, compared with baseline. Fu and colleagues used conditional logistic regression to determine the relationship between hip injury or buckling and pain exacerbation.
According to the researchers, 133 of the 252 participants provided data from both their case and control periods, and were included in the final analysis. During the last 7 days of the study, hip injury increased the risk for hip pain exacerbation (OR = 2.74; 95% CI, 1.62-4.62). In addition, instances of buckling during the last 2 days were associated with an increased risk for hip pain exacerbation (OR = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.3-3.39). This demonstrated a significant link between the number of “giving way” events and the risk for exacerbation, the researchers wrote.
“This study found that hip injury and episodes of hip ‘giving way’ were risk factors for pain exacerbation in persons with symptomatic hip OA,” Fu and colleagues wrote. “The results provide some insight into potential mechanisms of pain exacerbation. Reducing or avoiding activities that lead to hip injury or ‘giving way’ may decrease the risk of hip pain exacerbations in persons with hip OA.” – by Jason Laday
Disclosure: Fu reports receiving a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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