Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42082318›Full record

Trial reportBritish journal of sports medicine2026

Physiotherapist-led treatment for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (the PhysioFIRST study): an assessor-blinded, limited disclosure randomised controlled trial.

Joanne L Kemp, Mark J Scholes, Anne J Smith, Sally L Coburn, Richard R T Johnston, Denise M Jones, Michael A Girdwood, Matthew G King, Benjamin F Mentiplay, Danilo De Oliveira Silva and 5 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialEquivalence Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in British journal of sports medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Joanne L KempLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia j.kemp@latrobe.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9234-1923
Mark J ScholesLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9216-1597
Anne J SmithSchool of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences and enAble Institute for Health Science, Curtin Universit, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Sally L CoburnLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Richard R T JohnstonLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Denise M JonesLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Michael A GirdwoodLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6477-7263
Matthew G KingDepartment of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0470-5924
Benjamin F MentiplayLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4360-8310
Danilo De Oliveira SilvaLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0753-2432
Marcella PazzinattoLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7363-6304
Anthony G SchacheLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Diogo A GomesLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2363-8854
Georgia M CoburnLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Kay M CrossleyLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5892-129X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe evaluated the effect of physiotherapist-led treatment with targeted-strengthening (STRENGTH) compared with physiotherapist-led treatment with standardised-stretching (STRETCH) on hip-related quality of life (QOL) and patient-perceived Global Rating of Change (GROC) at 6 months in people with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome.

methodsAssessor-blind, limited disclosure, parallel, superiority randomised controlled trial. Participants aged 18-50 years with FAI syndrome were recruited and randomly allocated (1:1 ratio) to receive 6 months of STRENGTH or STRETCH treatment. Primary outcomes were change in (1) hip-related QOL (International Hip Outcome Tool-33 (iHOT-33, 0-100 points)); and (2) GROC-pain and GROC-function at 6 months. Secondary analysis included dichotomised GROC ('improved' and 'not improved') and hip muscle strength. Analyses were by intention to treat.

results154 participants (STRENGTH n=79 (53% women, mean 35 (SD 9) years); STRETCH n=75 (45% women, mean 36 (SD 9) years)) were included. There was no difference between groups for change in hip-related QOL (mean difference (95% CI) 0.2 (-5.9 to 6.3)) or patient-perceived global improvement (GROC-pain 0.2 (-0.2 to 0.7), p=0.23; GROC-function 0.3 (-0.1 to 0.6)) at 6 months. 72% of STRENGTH were improved for GROC-pain (OR 2.36 (1.15 to 4.84)) compared with 52% of STRETCH. STRENGTH had greater improvements than STRETCH in hip strength. Both groups improved in iHOT-33 over 6 months (STRENGTH 19.2 (15.7 to 22.8), STRETCH 20.8 (17.1 to 24.5) points).

conclusionThere was no superior physiotherapist-led treatment to improve hip-related QOL in people with FAI syndrome, but secondary analysis indicated that targeted strengthening resulted in greater improvements in perceived pain and hip muscle strength at 6 months. Hip-related QOL improved in both groups by clinically meaningful amounts. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12617001350314.

Indexed as

Femoracetabular ImpingementPhysical Therapy ModalitiesResistance TrainingAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMuscle StrengthMuscle Stretching ExercisesPhysical TherapistsQuality of LifeSingle-Blind MethodTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultExerciseHipPhysical TherapySports medicine

Identifiers

PMID42082318
PMCPMC13479264

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.