No Benefit of Physical Therapy for Hip Osteoarthritis

The intervention might have been “too little, too late.”

Some physical therapy (PT) components (i.e., exercise and manual therapy) benefit patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis. In this study, investigators examined the value of a more typical, multimodal PT program in 102 patients (mean age, 64; mean body-mass index, 29 kg/m²) with hip osteoarthritis diagnosed by standardized criteria of pain, radiographic changes, and functional difficulty. Participants were randomized to 10 PT sessions (session duration, 30–60 minutes) during 12 weeks or a sham intervention of inactive ultrasound with an inert gel. PT sessions involved strength, balance, and range-of-motion exercises, deep tissue massage, and home exercise recommendations.

At 36 weeks, changes in pain and function were not different between …

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

No Benefit of Physical Therapy for Hip Osteoarthritis

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Reviewing Author