by Elana Gotkine

Total hip replacement results in superior reduction in hip pain and improved hip function at six months compared with resistance training among patients aged 50 years or older with severe hip osteoarthritis and an indication for surgery, according to a study published in the Oct. 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Thomas Frydendal, Ph.D., from Lillebaelt Hospital-University Hospital of Southern Denmark in Vejle, and colleagues randomly assigned 109 patients aged 50 years or older with severe hip osteoarthritis and an indication for surgery to total hip replacement or resistance training (53 and 56 patients, respectively).

The researchers found that the mean increase in the Oxford Hip Score was 15.9 and 4.5 points in patients assigned to total hip replacement and resistance training, respectively, in an intention-to-treat analysis.

Overall, 9% of patients who had been assigned to total hip replacement had not undergone surgery at six months, and 21% of those who had been assigned to resistance training had undergone total hip replacement at six months. The two groups had a similar incidence of serious adverse events at six months; most events were known complications of total hip replacement.

“These results support current recommendations for the management of hip osteoarthritis and may be used to inform and guide shared decision-making in clinical practice,” the authors write.

More information: Thomas Frydendal et al, Total Hip Replacement or Resistance Training for Severe Hip Osteoarthritis, New England Journal of Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2400141

Journal information:New England Journal of Medicine

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