If you have severe hip arthritis, you may wonder whether to try exercise or go straight to surgery. A new study suggests the answer is clear: hip replacement works far better.
The trial randomly assigned 120 people with moderate-to-severe hip osteoarthritis to either total hip arthroplasty (THA) plus rehab or a self-directed exercise program. After 12 months, the surgery group saw their pain and function scores improve by about 31 points on the WOMAC scale, compared to just 4 points with exercise alone. The difference was 27 points, a huge gap.
But here's the catch: 38% of people in the exercise group eventually needed surgery anyway. And two people assigned to surgery declined it. The study didn't report any serious side effects, but it was small and done at one center. Still, for eligible patients, the message is strong: hip replacement offers real, lasting relief that exercise can't match.