Feasibility and Acceptability of a Six-month Exercise and Patient Education Intervention for Patients with Hip Dysplasia: A Mixed Methods Study

Background And Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of exercise and patient education for patients with hip dysplasia not receiving surgery.

Design: Feasibility study.

Methods: The participants received exercise instruction and patient education over six months. Feasibility covered recruitment, retention, and mechanisms of change (MC). MC were measured with Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS), muscle strength tests, Y-balance test, and hop for distance test (HDT) over six months. Acceptability covered adherence, expectations, perceptions, benefits, and harms.

Results: Thirty of 32 were recruited (median age: 30 years); six were lost to follow-up. Twenty-four participants improved by a mean of 11 (95%CI: 5-17) HAGOS pain points, improvements in all subscales were 1-11 points. Mean hip abduction strength improved 0.2 (95%CI: 0.04-0.4) Nm/kg, similar to flexion and extension. Median Y-balance test improvements: anterior: 70 (IQR: 64-74) to 75 (IQR: 72-80) centimetres; posteromedial: 104 (IQR: 94-112) to 119 (IQR: 112-122) centimetres and posterolateral: 98 (IQR: 89-109) to 116 (IQR: 108-121) centimetres (p < .001). Median improvement in HDT was: 37 (IQR: 30-44) to 52 (IQR: 45-58) centimetres (p < .001). Participants adhered to 84% of scheduled sessions (1,581:1,872), expectations were met, and perceptions were characterized by high self-efficacy for exercise. Benefits were reported with no serious harms.

Conclusion: Patients with hip dysplasia are willing to be recruited for exercise and patient education, with acceptable retention. MC were observed through improvements in pain, strength and function with high acceptance of the exercise and patient education intervention. Thus, it seems feasible to conduct a full-scale randomised controlled trial.