There is no cure for osteoarthritis, so why bother?
No, you can't cure hip osteoarthritis. But yes, physical therapy can treat the secondary effects, including pain, tightness of the muscles around the hip joint, and increasing loss of mobility-related to the progressive tightening of the joint capsule. Physical therapy as conservative therapy has a low profile, and many providers "including surgeons and primary care physicians" don't realize that it can significantly reduce patients' need for drugs and also increase their mobility and tolerance for exercise. This, in turn, decreases the risk of other co-morbidities related to inactivity which often accompany the direct pain and symptoms of hip osteoarthritis. Here's Dr. Tony Rocklin, a longtime proponent of pre-surgical conservative treatment, talking about why it matters.