Progressive Resistance Training Not Superior for Hip Osteoarthritis

MONDAY, April 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Progressive resistance training (PRT) is not superior to neuromuscular exercise (NEMEX) for improving functional performance in patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA), according to a study published online April 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Troels Kjeldsen, from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues examined whether PRT is superior to NEMEX for improving functional performance in a superiority trial involving 160 patients with clinically diagnosed hip OA. The participants were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of PRT or NEMEX (82 and 78 individuals, respectively), with two supervised 60-minute group sessions per week. Change in the 30-second chair stand test (30s-CST) was measured as the primary outcome.

The researchers found that the mean changes from baseline to 12-week follow-up were 1.5 and 1.5 chair stands in the 30s-CST with PRT and NEMEX, respectively. For the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) pain subscale, the mean changes were 8.6 and 9.3 points with PRT and NEMEX, respectively. For the HOOS quality of life subscale, the mean changes were 8.0 and 5.7 points with PRT and NEMEX, respectively.

“Because PRT was not superior to NEMEX, patients and clinicians may instead, through shared decision-making, choose the preferred type of exercise, which will likely promote motivation, adherence, and effects,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)