In an article published in the journal Musculoskeletal Science & Practice, the authors found that adding exercises for hip strength helped improve people who suffered from knee arthritis pain, and improved function and the quality of life. By reducing the pain, the authors also documented that strengthening the hip muscles reduced drug intake for knee arthritis pain as well. ~ Dr. Broussard
Hip abductor versus adductor strengthening for clinical outcomes in knee symptomatic osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial
Musculoskeletal Science & Practice
Published: May 13, 2022
Gabriel Peixoto Leão Almeida
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2022.102575
Highlights
• Add hip strength for patients with KOA improves pain, function and quality of life.
• Adding hip strengthening reduces drug intake in patients with KOA.
• Adding hip strengthening improves performance-based test in patients with KOA.
• There is no difference between adding hip abductors or adductors strengthening.
• This study was the first to control the total workload over the sessions.
Abstract
Background
Hip adductors and abductors are weak in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, most studies have not investigated selective adductor strengthening.
Objective
To compare the effects of adding selective hip abductors versus adductors strengthening to lower limb multimodal exercise program for pain, self-reported function, knee-related quality of life, medication ingested and performance-based tests in patients with symptomatic KOA.
Design
Randomized controlled trial.
Methods
Sixty-six patients with KOA were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: hip abductor group (HABG) or hip adductor group (HADG). Both groups performed a lower limb multimodal exercise program. HABG and HADG groups added three hip abduction and three hip adduction exercises, respectively. Intensity of pain through numeric pain scale, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subscales, Lequesne questionnaire, global perceived effect scale, medication ingested, performance-based tests were assessed at baseline, after 6 weeks, and 6 months.
Results
No significant between-group differences were found in primary outcomes: pain intensity (mean difference = −1.15, 95%CI −2.44 – 0.12, P = 0.07), KOOS-pain (mean difference = 1.64, 95%CI −6.79 – 10.07, P = 0.70) and KOOS-function in daily living (mean difference = −0.12, 95%CI, −8.78 – 8.54, P = 0.97) in 6 weeks. Groups did not differ in any secondary outcome after 6 weeks or after 6 months (P > 0.05).
Conclusions
There is no difference between adding hip abductors or adductors strengthening to lower limb multimodal exercise program in improving pain, self-reported function, quality of life, medication ingested and performance-based tests in patients with KOA.