Effectiveness of exercise therapy added to general practitioner care in patients with hip osteoarthritis: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of exercise therapy added to general practitioner (GP) care compared with GP care alone, in patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA) during 12 months follow-up.

Methods: We performed a multi-center parallel pragmatic randomized controlled trial in 120 general practices in the Netherlands. 203 patients, aged ≥45 years, with a new episode of hip complaints, complying with the ACR criteria for hip OA were randomized to the intervention group (n = 101; GP care with additional exercise therapy) or the control group (n = 102; GP care only). GP care was given by patient's own GP. The intervention group received, in addition, a maximum of 12 exercise therapy sessions in the first 3 months and hereafter three booster sessions. Blinding was not possible. Primary outcomes were hip pain and hip-related function measured with the HOOS questionnaire (score 0-100).

Results: The overall estimates on hip pain and function during the 12-month follow-up showed no between-group difference (intention-to-treat). At 3-months follow-up there was a statistically significant between-group difference for HOOS pain -3.7 (95% CI: -7.3; -0.2), effect size -0.23 and HOOS function -5.3 (95% CI: -8.9; -1.6), effect size -0.31. No adverse events were reported.

Conclusions: No differences were found during 12-months follow-up on pain and function. At 3-months follow-up, pain and function scores differed in favor of patients allocated to the additional exercise therapy compared with GP care alone.

Trial registration: The Netherlands Trial Registry NTR1462.