A Multimodal Approach for the Management of Moderate Hip Osteoarthritis in A Runner: A Case Report.

This is one person. The paper states plainly that no cause and effect can be determined. The subject was a seasoned runner of more than 40 years who was motivated and engaged, so the result may not apply to less active patients or to those with more severe hip osteoarthritis. He was taking prednisone for a period during the plan of care, so some of the pain relief may not come from the physical therapy programme. No imaging was done, so the diagnosis of hip osteoarthritis rests entirely on clinical criteria and examination. Strength was only screened with manual muscle testing; no objective strength measure was taken, so the strength gains noted are not quantified. No gait or running analysis was performed, so functional changes in running were not examined. Exercise intensity was targeted but never measured, so it is unknown how hard he actually worked, and six weeks may be too short to produce true muscle adaptation.

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The text contains no statement about who funded the work or whether anyone else was involved in designing it or writing it up.

Do not read this as evidence that a multimodal programme works for hip osteoarthritis. It describes one motivated 75-year-old runner who also took a short course of prednisone, and the paper itself says no cause and effect can be determined.