Exercise therapy 'can alleviate symptoms in osteoarthritis of the hip'

Undertaking exercise therapy can help to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the hip, according to new research.

A study undertaken by scientists at the University of Tübingen in Germany found patients with a normal level of vitality who underwent 12 weeks of exercise therapy experienced a reduction in pain and an improvement in physical function. 

These individuals were compared to a control group of patients who received no treatment and a further group who received a placebo ultrasound treatment of the hip. A questionnaire was then used to measure pain, physical function and stiffness among these people.

Those patients who underwent the exercise therapy reported noticeably less pain and improved physical function than the individuals in the control and placebo groups. On average, people in the exercise group had a pain score of 21 out of 100, compared to 29 in the other groups.

However, the scientists noted there was no significant improvement in general health-related quality of life among the exercise group.

Their report, which was published in the German medical journal Deutsches Arzteblatt, said further tests are needed to assess the impact of exercise therapy on individuals in a "generally poorer state of health".

It also stated that medical practitioners will need to be able to instruct patients on how to carry out their exercise therapy. 

Around one in ten people in the developed world have osteoarthritis of the hip and there is currently no cure for the condition.

A spokesperson for Arthritis Research UK, which strongly encourages people with osteoarthritis to keep as active and mobile as they can to help keep pain at bay and maintain muscle strength and flexibility, welcomed the findings. 

"We understand the added benefits that exercise provides patients who may be experiencing pain in their hip. Non-weight-bearing exercise such as swimming and cycling could be most helpful to people with arthritis to reduce the stress on the joint.

 "Arthritis Research UK are funding the development of an exercise qualification for exercise professionals to enable them to safely deliver exercise programmes to people with arthritis."