Table 2.
Health service utilisation for hip versus knee pain in people aged ≥65 years.
| For the recent/current painful joint(s) have you: | Hip cases (n = 212)an (%) | Knee cases (n = 612)an(%) | Fisher's exact test P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consulted a GPb | 76/151 (50.3) | 354/512 (69.1) | <0.001 |
| IF YES, GP has: | |||
| Examined the joint(s) | 38/76 (50.0) | 222/354 (62.7) | 0.05 |
| Requested a joint x-ray | 51/76 (67.1) | 179/354 (50.6) | 0.01 |
| Referred to a physiotherapist | 17/76 (22.4) | 96/354 (27.1) | 0.47 |
| Provided written information/leaflets | 5/76 (6.6) | 24/354 (6.8) | 1.00 |
| Suggested specialist referral | 21/76 (27.6) | 115/354 (32.5) | 0.50 |
| Advised on diet | 3/76 (3.4) | 20/354 (5.7) | 0.78 |
| Taken painkillers | 79/154 (51.3) | 219/495 (44.2) | 0.14 |
| IF YES: | |||
| GP prescription | 56/79 (70.9) | 144/217 (66.4) | |
| Over-the-counter | 18/79 (22.8) | 58/217 (26.7) | 0.8 |
| Both | 5/79 (6.3) | 15/217 (6.9) | |
| Used any complementary therapies | 33/151 (21.9) | 75/488 (15.4) | 0.08 |
| IF YES, did this include: | |||
| Glucosamine | 12/33 (36.4) | 52/75 (69.3) | 0.003 |
| Homeopathy | 0/33 (0.0) | 2/75 (2.7) | 1.00 |
| Osteopathy/chiropractor | 22/33 (66.7) | 23/75 (30.7) | 0.001 |
| Hydrotherapy | 1/33 (3.0) | 0/75 (0.0) | 0.31 |
| Acupuncture | 6/33 (18.2) | 14/75 (18.7) | 1.00 |
| Had an injection into the joint/washout/lavage | lavage 6/151 (4.0) | 53/488 (10.9) | 0.01 |
| Had surgery other than joint replacement; for example, arthroscopy, osteotomy | 1/151 (0.7) | 26/488 (5.3) | 0.01 |
| Seen a specialist | 34/156 (21.8) | 143/504 (28.4) | 0.12 |
| IF YES: | |||
| As an NHS patient only | 23/33 (69.7) | 112/141 (79.4) | |
| As a private patient | 10/33 (30.3) | 29/141 (20.6) | 0.25 |
| Offered surgery (any type including joint replacement) | 3/33 (9.1) | 56/136 (41.2) | <0.001 |
| IF YES: | |||
| Waiting for surgery on NHS | 2/3 (66.7) | 20/51 (39.2) | |
| Waiting for private surgery | 0/3 (0.0) | 1/51 (2.0) | 0.59 |
| Not waiting for surgery | 1/3 (33.3) | 30/51 (58.8) | |
a
Denominators are indicated where missing values exist for a health service.
b
Joint(s) refers, in all analyses, to the current painful hip joint(s) for the hip cases and the current painful knee joint(s) for the knee cases.