The effect of mobilisation technique on pain and physical function in patients with hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Abstract

Abstract Background: The mobilisation technique has been used widely in the physical therapy domain; however, its effectiveness has not been investigated in isolation in patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA). Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the mobilisation technique on pain and physical function in patients with hip OA. Data source: In May and June 2021, an electronic literature search was conducted of the relevant databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, Cochrane Library, PEDro and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria: Randomised control trial (RCT) studies published in English and with full-text availability where the mobilisation technique was applied and compared with conventional therapy, placebo or no intervention. The measures of interest were pain and physical function in people aged 40 and over and diagnosed with hip OA. Data extraction and data synthesis: A narrative synthesis was used; the data were extracted by using a modified Cochrane data extraction form for RCTs, and the methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro scale. Results: Four RCT studies met the eligibility criteria, with a total of 197 participants; all the studies showed pain reduction and physical function improvement in patients with hip OA. The methodological quality of the studies based on the PEDro scale was good in three studies and fair in one study. Conclusion: The mobilisation technique showed significant improvement in pain reduction and physical function in patients with hip OA; however, the generalisability of the included studies was of a poor quality; thus, further studies are needed for a definitive conclusion.