Hip osteoarthritis affects millions of people around the world and is a major cause of pain, stiffness, and difficulty moving.
As the smooth cartilage inside the hip joint wears away, simple activities such as walking, getting out of a chair, or climbing stairs can become painful. Doctors usually recommend exercise as one of the first treatments because it is safe, inexpensive, and offers many health benefits.
A new review suggests that exercise does help people with hip osteoarthritis, but the average improvement may not be as noticeable as many patients expect.
The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne and published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The findings provide a careful look at what patients can realistically expect from exercise programs.
Rather than conducting a new clinical trial, the researchers combined results from previous high-quality studies. This type of research, known as a systematic review, is considered one of the strongest ways to evaluate medical evidence because it looks at all suitable studies instead of relying on a single experiment.
The review included 18 clinical trials involving 1,368 adults with hip osteoarthritis. Most participants were women between 53 and 74 years old. The exercise programs differed from one study to another and included strength training, aerobic exercise, flexibility exercises, and gentle mind-body activities over periods ranging from two weeks to one year.
When compared with usual care or no treatment, exercise reduced pain by an average of about seven points on a 100-point scale. While this is a measurable improvement, experts generally believe that most patients need a reduction of around 12 points before they clearly notice a meaningful difference in daily life. Improvements in physical function followed a similar pattern.
The researchers explained that this comparison should be interpreted with caution because the 12-point benchmark mainly comes from studies of knee osteoarthritis. People with hip arthritis may experience improvements differently. More research is needed to determine what level of pain relief truly matters to people living with hip osteoarthritis.
The review also found little evidence that exercise alone greatly improved overall quality of life. This does not mean exercise has no value. Instead, it suggests that managing hip osteoarthritis often requires several approaches working together, including education, weight management when appropriate, pain relief, and sometimes surgery for severe disease.
Exercise remains an important part of treatment because it improves muscle strength, heart health, balance, and mental well-being. Stronger muscles around the hip can also help support the joint and make everyday activities easier. Even if pain relief is modest, these additional health benefits are valuable.
The authors also pointed out that many of the studies were relatively small. Participants knew whether they were exercising, and most outcomes relied on people reporting their own pain and function. These factors can influence study results, making it difficult to measure the exact effect of exercise.
The researchers believe future studies should include larger numbers of participants and compare different types and intensities of exercise. It is possible that some people respond much better than others, and identifying those groups could lead to more personalized treatment plans.
The study was led by researchers from the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne and published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Overall, the findings support continuing to recommend exercise for hip osteoarthritis because it is safe and provides many health benefits.
At the same time, the review reminds doctors and patients to have realistic expectations, as exercise alone may provide only modest improvements in pain and movement for many people. Better-quality research is needed to identify the most effective exercise programs for different patients.
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