In general, however, the reported effects of isolated self-management programs for osteoarthritis have often been small or non-significant. A meta-analysis published in 2003 involving
17 trials of all types of arthritis found an effect size of only 0.12 for pain and 0.07 for disability (Warsi et al 2003). A more recent systematic review found five studies specifically involving people with Cell Cycle inhibitor hip or knee osteoarthritis (Iversen et al 2010). The programs and outcome measures were variable and the results generally showed no or modest benefits. A large randomised trial in the UK primary care setting involving 812 participants with hip or knee osteoarthritis found no difference in pain or function, but reduced anxiety and improved self efficacy to manage symptoms, between a 6-session self-management course including an AUY-922 in vivo educational booklet compared to administration of the educational booklet alone (Buszewicz et al 2006). In another study, a telephone-based
self-management program delivered via 12 monthly telephone calls to people with hip or knee osteoarthritis produced moderate improvements in pain compared to a health education control group (Allen et al 2010). A 24-month randomised trial in people awaiting total hip joint replacement found that a group who received a multidisciplinary information session 2 to 6 weeks before surgery had less preoperative anxiety and pain compared to those receiving usual information in an information leaflet (Giraudet-Le Quintrec et al 2003). Nevertheless, the relatively small effect sizes of self-management programs and patient education in isolation highlight that these should form one component
also of an overall treatment plan. Exercise is an integral component of conservative non-pharmacological management of osteoarthritis and is advised by clinical guidelines for all patients, irrespective of disease severity, age, co-morbidity, pain severity, or disability (Conaghan et al 2008, Hochberg et al 2012, Zhang et al 2008). Among the limited randomised trials, however, few have exclusively recruited people with hip osteoarthritis. The details of the relevant trials are presented in Table 1. The studies vary particularly with regard to the type, dosage, mode of delivery, and duration of the exercise program. Most include strengthening exercises alone or in combination with other types of exercise such as those targetting range of motion or balance. One study investigated Tai Chi and five investigated aquatic exercise.