Hip osteoarthritis is common, costly, often misunderstood and on the rise. 

Arthritis Australia projects that by 2040 more than 3.1 million Australians will be living with osteoarthritis, up from 2.35 million in 2025—a 31 per cent increase—with total arthritis cases expected to reach 5.39 million.  

These increases are expected to translate into billions of dollars in healthcare, productivity and disability costs. 

Professor Kim Bennell AM APAM

On 21 November, Professor Kim Bennell AM APAM will deliver the keynote address at the APA Vic Branch End of Year Breakfast, highlighting emerging evidence for hip osteoarthritis and its clinical implications. 

An academic physiotherapist and director of the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine (CHESM) at the University of Melbourne, Kim is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading musculoskeletal researchers. 

Alongside her professorships, Kim is a National Health and Medical Research Council investigator fellow and former board member of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International. 

Her research focuses on lifestyle management of osteoarthritis and improving uptake through digital technologies. 

She has conducted more than 60 randomised clinical trials and published more than 630 papers in journals, including The Lancet and Journal of the American Medical Association. 

Her work has informed clinical guidelines, been disseminated widely and used in free resources for clinicians and patients. Kim has also supervised more than 30 PhD students, many now leaders in their field. 

In 2025, she was awarded an Order of Australia for her contributions to the field of rehabilitation. 

Kim’s presentation, ‘Hip osteoarthritis: translating emerging evidence into better clinical practice’, will explore current best practice for management of hip osteoarthritis including areas where it may differ from that of knee osteoarthritis. 

In Australia, osteoarthritis prevalence rises sharply with age. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 10 per cent of people aged 45–54 have osteoarthritis, increasing to 30 per cent among those aged 75 and over. 

It is already a leading cause of disability and workforce loss. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 528 million people were living with osteoarthritis in 2019, with numbers set to rise as populations age. 

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare also notes that osteoarthritis most often affects the knees, hands and hips. 

While it does not publish hip-specific prevalence data, the burden is reflected in surgery rates. 

In 2021–22, approximately 35,500 hip replacements were performed in Australia for osteoarthritis and the condition was the most common reason for both hip and knee joint replacements—a marker of both cost and clinical demand.

Despite this, hip osteoarthritis has been overshadowed in research compared to the knee. 

Kim highlights Cochrane Review data revealing a stark imbalance: more than eight times as many high-quality exercise trials have examined knee osteoarthritis compared to the hip. 

‘Often times the clinical guideline recommendations for management of hip osteoarthritis are based on research on the knee. However, we can’t necessarily generalise all research findings from the knee to the hip. The hip is biomechanically very different—it’s a ball-and-socket joint, while the knee is a more complex hinge joint. 

Hip replacement surgery is generally effective, whereas up to 20 per cent of people report poor outcomes after knee surgery. So we need to build the evidence base specifically for the hip, not just borrow from the knee.’ 

For patients, hip osteoarthritis can mean persistent pain, stiffness, reduced mobility and function. Education is a core treatment; how physiotherapists communicate about the condition can shape outcomes, Kim stresses. 

‘Terms like “bone on bone” or “wear and tear” can create fear and lead people to avoid activity. 

We need to explain that osteoarthritis affects the whole joint—muscles, ligaments, cartilage and surrounding tissues—and that pain is influenced by mood, sleep and stress. 

Chronic joint pain is not explained by structure alone—it’s a multifactorial experience. Imaging results don’t always predict pain or treatment response.’ 

By reframing osteoarthritis as a condition that can be managed, physiotherapists can help patients remain active and engaged rather than withdrawing in fear. 

Among Kim’s many contributions to improving the lives of those with osteoarthritis is Medibank’s Better Knee, Better Me program, which began as a randomised trial and then became a service supporting people with knee osteoarthritis to exercise and lose weight, improving their pain and function. 

‘Participants lost an average of about nine per cent of their body weight, which led to meaningful improvements in function and management of other health conditions.’ 

Testing of a similar program for hip osteoarthritis is now underway in a large clinical trial, with results pending. 

Kim says the rise in osteoarthritis prevalence, along with increasing surgical demand, highlights the importance of early, scalable conservative management. 

‘Hip osteoarthritis doesn’t have to mean giving up the activities people love. 

Our role is to equip patients with the knowledge, strategies and confidence to keep moving and keep living well.’ 

Kim’s keynote will distil findings from international research and CHESM-led trials. 

She notes that while evidence for knee osteoarthritis is more developed, hip-specific data is emerging. 

Exercise remains a cornerstone, with targeted strengthening and mobility programs shown to reduce symptoms. 

Physiotherapists also need to use behaviour change techniques to help their patients engage in long-term exercise and physical activity. 

Manual therapy can offer adjunctive relief, while pain coping skills training drawing on cognitive behavioural approaches provides benefits for some patients. 

For advanced disease unresponsive to conservative care, hip replacement remains an effective option. 

While outcomes from surgery are generally good, Kim emphasises the need for clear, balanced discussion between patients and physiotherapists about risks, benefits and recovery. 

If patients ask about non-evidence-based interventions, such as stem cells, platelet-rich plasma and other biologic injections, Kim says physiotherapists also need to be ready for those conversations. 

‘These treatments attract a lot of attention but the evidence just isn’t there yet for many of them. Our role is to help patients understand what is and isn’t supported by research and to guide them toward strategies that we know are safe and effective.’

Translating research into practical care is key to Kim’s body of work. Under her leadership, CHESM has produced free online patient and clinician resources for osteoarthritis based on its research. 

CHESM’s tools provide structured programs covering online yoga, tai chi and strengthening exercise, education courses and pain coping skills training. 

‘Physiotherapists can act as coaches as well as clinicians,’ Kim says. 

‘It’s not just about prescribing exercises. It’s about supporting behaviour change, troubleshooting barriers and helping people find strategies that work for their lives.’ 

Her keynote will equip attendees with practical skills: integrating education, exercise and weight management into care; using supportive communication to motivate patients; and guiding informed decisions about surgery and other treatment options. 

By the end of the session, she says, physiotherapists will have not only an updated evidence summary for hip osteoarthritis but also strategies for addressing patient fears and pathways to connect them with high-quality self-management online resources. 

Kim’s central message is that physiotherapists can be the linchpin in long-term management of hip osteoarthritis. 

‘We need to be able to explain the rationale behind treatments, set realistic goals and provide ongoing support. That’s how we help people keep moving and living well with hip osteoarthritis.’ 

The APA Vic Branch End of Year Breakfast will be held on Friday 21 November at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Richmond. Visit australian.physio/pd/ pd-product?id=12961 to register.