Study: Longer Rehab for Elderly Hip Fracture Patients

Extending supervised outpatient rehabilitation by six months helps elderly patients more fully recover from hip fractures, according to the first controlled study of its kind. The study also showed that these patients can benefit from progressive resistance exercise training. 20/08/2004

The study, conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, challenges the current standard therapy. "Hip fractures are a very prevalent problem in the elderly, and research shows that most patients have significant difficulty performing daily activities even after the standard four to 16 weeks of home-based therapy," says principal investigator Ellen F. Binder, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences and staff physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Therefore Binder's team randomly assigned 90 hip fracture patients who had just completed the standard course of acute therapy to one of two groups: One group received six months of supervised physical therapy and exercise training, while the other group received instructions and brief training in exercises to be performed at home for six months.

Participants who received supervised rehabilitation therapy that included resistance training improved on functional, strength, balance, mobility and quality of life measures significantly more than those who received a prescribed, home-based regimen. In addition, for participants in both groups, bone density did not decline over the course of the study. Previous research has shown that bone density declines up to four percent in the first year after a hip fracture.

"The most important thing about our study is that we show functional improvements," Binder says. "It's great to improve strength and balance, but the key is whether that translates into being able to do more with less outside help."

- Click here for more information from the Washington University School of Medicine

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