(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Despite some controversy over its effectiveness, a new study supports the recommendation by the European League Against Rheumatism for the use of steroid injections to treat hip osteoarthritis (OA).

OA affects about 21 million Americans and causes stiffness and pain. Over time, the symptoms can become debilitating and make even routine activities difficult.

Researchers from the University of Alberta in Edmonton studied the impact of image-guided steroid injections and announced their results at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in the Netherlands.

They treated 52 patients with either a steroid or a placebo. The injection site was determined with the use of an imaging technique known as fluoroscopy. The patients' conditions were assessed at the time of treatment and then again one and two months later.

The researchers discovered those patients who were treated with the steroids reported significant improvement in pain, stiffness and functioning as compared to the patients given a placebo.

The study authors say the need for localizing the source of the pain and the difficulties in detecting them within the hips and the spine make imaging an important aspect of successful treatment.

Researchers point out because there is currently no cure for osteoarthritis, it is especially important to find a way to minimize the effects of the disease over time. This treatment, they add, could offer hope to patients with late stage OA who have failed with conservative therapy.

SOURCE: Presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, the Netherlands, June 21-24, 2006