Exercise may provide some relief for people with hip osteoarthritis, but the improvements in pain and physical function may be too small for many patients to notice in everyday life, according to a new Cochrane review. The researchers caution that stronger evidence is still needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Hip osteoarthritis affects millions of people around the world and is a major cause of long-term pain and disability. Exercise is commonly recommended as one of the first treatments for reducing symptoms and maintaining mobility.
Exercise Benefits May Be Modest
Researchers from the University of Sydney and University of Melbourne found that exercise leads to small average improvements in pain and physical function among people with hip osteoarthritis. However, those gains may not be large enough to create a meaningful difference in patients' daily lives.
The review analyzed 18 clinical trials involving 1,368 participants. Most were women (63%), and their ages ranged from 53 to 74, so the results may not apply as well to younger adults.
