Pain Relief for Osteoarthritis of the Hip

Researchers investigated the “effectiveness of a patient education (PE) program with or without the added effect of manual therapy (MT) compared to a minimal control intervention (MCI).”  In a hospital setting, 118 patients who were diagnosed with unilateral hip osteoarthritis were organized into 3 groups.

 

• Group 1: Received 5 sessions of patient education from a physiotherapist
• Group 2: Received 5 sessions of patient education from a physiotherapist as well as 12 sessions of manual therapy from a chiropractor
• Group 3: Given a home stretching program

All interventions took place over a 6-week time frame.  Researchers then gathered self-reported pain severity ratings from all participants and continued to follow the patients for a year.

Their findings showed that patients who received patient education or the home stretching program had no difference in pain levels at the completion of the 6-week treatment.  However, the group that received patient education and manual therapy from the chiropractor had a “clinically relevant reduction in pain severity.”  Additionally, they found this difference continued at the 1-year follow-up.

In light of their findings, they concluded that for patients seeking primary care for a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, a combination of patient education and manual therapy with a chiropractor is “more effective” than the home stretching program.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the hip, talk to your chiropractor about how they can help you achieve safe, effective pain relief.  Your doctor of chiropractic can offer treatment as well as education for home care that can help minimize discomfort and maintain function.  If you don’t have a chiropractor, you can find a TCA Member doctor by clicking here.

 

RESOURCE: E. Poulsen, J. Hartvigsen, H.W. Christensen, E.M. Roos, W. Vach, S. Overgaard. “Patient education with or without manual therapy compared to a control group in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip. A proof-of-principle three-arm parallel group randomized clinical trial”  OsteoArthritis & Cartilage. October 2013.  Volume 21, Issue 10, Pages 1494–1503.