The effects of exercise on function and pain following total hip arthroplasty: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Background Previous reviews have reported the efficacy of exercise interventions following total hip arthroplasty (THA), but poor inter-study comparability of low-quality studies, and outcome measure heterogeneity predominate. Conclusions regarding exercise intervention efficacy following THA are lacking.Objectives Conduct a systematic literature review with meta-analysis to report the effects of exercise following THA, using self-reported outcome measures of function and pain, and clinical tests for gait capacity.Methods An electronic database search of CINAHL, Informit, Medline, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Scopus, and SportDiscus was conducted. Included studies (1) reported exercise interventions in adult populations following THA; (2) reported outcomes either of physical function, pain intensity, or clinical gait capacity; (3) were randomised controlled trials published in English. Study appraisal was conducted using PEDro scale. A meta-analysis was conducted to report intervention effect size and statistical significance between experimental and control groups.Results Searches yielded 5,997 studies. Twenty-four studies underwent systematic review. Twelve were eligible for meta-analysis. Study quality ranged from fair to excellent (median = 7, range = 5–9/10). Exercise interventions included hydrotherapy, and progressive resistance, gait, task-based, upper-limb, and sports therapy training. Significant between-group differences in self-reported function, pain, and gait velocity were observed at short-term follow-up, favouring exercise intervention groups. At long-term follow-up, these improvements were not significant.Conclusions This review identified that exercise interventions significantly improved self-reported physical function, pain intensity and gait velocity following THA in the short term. Further research is required to clarify long-term exercise effects, and the most effective exercise intervention, in studies which detail the interventions explicitly.