Tom Wainwright, a professor of orthopaedics at Bournemouth University and a physiotherapist at UHD, said: “For the time it takes to treat one patient using standard physiotherapy, we can treat multiple patients in a group session and provide them with better outcomes.
“This has proved to be more cost-effective than standard treatment and so we hope this will contribute to reducing NHS waiting times for physiotherapy treatment in the future.”
Prof Rob Middleton, of Bournemouth University and an orthopaedic surgeon at UHD, said: “Hip replacements cost the NHS over £6,000 per patient, so avoiding surgery for hip problems reduces the burden on the NHS, saves money, and provides better outcomes for patients.
“Now with this new study we can also see the potential for static cycling to save further money for the NHS by bringing down waiting lists for physiotherapy.”
Dr Peter Wilson, chief medical officer at UHD, said: “We are an ageing population and increasingly we are seeing more patients with osteoarthritis that need either surgery or physiotherapy.
“Finding alternative ways to treat these patients could help reduce waiting times and the financial demand on NHS services.”
The Chain intervention was first launched in 2013 and patients who wish to take part are referred to UHD from their GP.
To bolster access on a national level, experts from Bournemouth University had developed a virtual course on their education app, allowing people to follow the programme from their home or local gym.
