Joint distension arthrography for disabling hip pain. A controlled clinical trial

Thirty-eight patients (age 27-73 years) with unilateral hip pain, restricted movement of the hip joint and radiologically no or only slight osteoarthrosis were studied in a double-blind controlled clinical trial. Twenty-one patients received active treatment with hip joint distension arthrography and 17 received placebo treatment. All patients were assessed clinically on entry, the day after and 3 months after treatment. The incidences of subjective improvement were similar in the two groups. Apart from a slight deterioration in the treated group of hip flexion, abduction and lateral rotation at the one-day assessment, neither group showed any change in the registered movements of the hip joint compared with the assessment on entry. The measured intermalleolar distance at maximal straight-leg abduction was the sole variable which tended to increase (p = 0.05) 3 months after active treatment. Thus, the therapeutic effect of a single treatment with joint distension seems to be dubious.