Exercise for osteoarthritis of the hip.
BACKGROUND
Current international treatment guidelines recommending therapeutic exercise for people with symptomatic hip OA report are based on expert opinion only.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether land-based therapeutic exercise is beneficial for people with hip OA in terms of reduced joint pain and/or improved physical function.


METHODS
Five databases were searched from 1966 up until August 2008.


METHODS
All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) recruiting people with hip OA and comparing some form of land-based therapeutic exercise (as opposed to exercises conducted in the water) with a non-exercise group.


METHODS
Three reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality. All analyses were conducted on continuous outcomes.


RESULTS
Combining the results of the five included RCTs demonstrated a small treatment effect for pain, but no benefit in terms of improved self-reported physical function. Only one of these five RCTs exclusively recruited people with symptomatic hip OA.


CONCLUSIONS
The limited number and small sample size of the included RCTs restricts the confidence that can be attributed to these results. Adequately powered RCTs evaluating exercise programs specifically designed for people with symptomatic hip OA need to be conducted.
Fransen
Marlene
M
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Room 0212, Cumberland Campus C42, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1825.
McConnell
Sara
S
Hernandez-Molina
Gabriela
G
Reichenbach
Stephan
S
D018771:Arthralgia / Q000628:therapy*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006621:Hip Joint; D006801:Humans; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic