Hip Exercises May Improve Walking, Pain With Knee Arthritis

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found men and women with arthritic knees can add hip-strengthening exercises involving weights or elastic bands to their workout to improve their ability to walk and reduce pain, reports Reuters Health . The team examined eight clinical trials with a total of 340 subjects to analyze the effect of adding hip-strengthening exercises to a regimen often prescribed to strengthen the quadriceps at the front of the thigh for people with knee arthritis. Generally, hip-strengthening significantly enhanced walking function, although without a statistically meaningful effect on pain, stair function, or the ability to stand from a sitting position. When studying individual types of hip exercise, resistance exercises were found to be more effective than functional neuromuscular exercises for improving pain and functioning. "Strengthening the hip muscles, particularly the hip abductors, might improve pelvic drop and trunk control, lightening the load on the knee," suggested the University of Queensland's Andrew Hislop.