Effect of a modified S-form hip brace, WISH type, for patients with painful osteoarthritis of the hip: a role in daily walking as a hip muscle exercise

Abstract

A hip brace designated as WISH-type of S-form hip brace was applied for 14 patients with painful hip osteoarthritis (OA), who were required to walk as an exercise at least a half hour every day. Patients were independently evaluated and serially scored using the Harris and Japanese Orthopaedic Surgery (JOA) scores. Pain relief on gait was obtained immediately and dramatically in all patients, providing high compliance. Approximately three fourths of patients acquired independence from analgesics. Both Harris and JOA scoring systems indicated significant improvement of hip function. Only two cases showed poor responses, and common factors in these cases included bilateral involvement and unsuccessfulness of daily walking exercise. The present WISH-type hip brace may be one of the most valuable treatments in the management of the hip OA. Requirements of muscle exercise around the hip girdle involving daily walking should be emphasized for maintenance of the brace effects.

Extended Application of WISH type S-form hip Brace for Patients with Bilateral Painful Hip Osteoarthritis

“…Two independent measures, Harris and JOA scoring systems, revealed these positive effects of the brace quantitatively. 2 However, two patients did not respond positively to the brace and one of them resulted in THA replacement in a relatively short period. The common factors in these two cases included bilateral involvement.…”

“…2 The pain control effects encouraged patients to perform daily walking exercise, the outcome of which was not temporal. Two independent measures, Harris and JOA scoring systems, revealed these positive effects of the brace quantitatively.…”

“…The common factors in these two cases included bilateral involvement. 2 Impaired hip function can be compensated for by an increase in pelvic motion and muscle power generation or absorption modifications in other joints of the contra-lateral leg during walking. Patients with bilateral hip OA hardly compensate with the contra-lateral leg joint during gait, and show a unique gait pattern.…”

“…Compact configuration, 2 allowing the bilateral fixation of the S-form thigh portion to the pelvic portion, may simultaneously stabilize bilateral hip joints. Survival of the primary THA is not long, and resultant revision surgery is required for many patients.…”

“…1 Although recently we have developed a hip brace, called the WISH-type hip brace, and showed successful response of the patients quantitatively, a negligible effect was observed in patients with bilateral involvement. 2 Here, we extended the application of the WISH-type hip brace for such patients, by adding another S-form portion, which holds the newly-affected thigh, to the WISH-type hip brace equipped previously.…”