Physical function assessment of older adults with lower body fractures at 3 months post-discharge from hospital.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Physical function assessment can be performed to assess functional mobility among older adults, especially after a traumatic incident such as lower body fracture (LBF). The objective of this study was to evaluate physical function of older patients with LBF after 3 months of discharge from the hospital.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 89 patients were followed up at the discharge phase. Four independent variables were tested: age, sex, type of fracture, and use of a walking aid before fracture. Mobility and strength were assessed with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and hand-grip strength (HGS) test, respectively.

RESULTS

The majority of the patients were ≥65 years old (64%), female (61.8%), of Chinese ethnicity (50.6%), and had a hip fracture (51.7%). The mean time for TUG test was 26.11 seconds, while mean HGS was 19.02 kg. We found significant differences in TUG test scores with respect to all independent variables tested: age (=0.026), sex (=0.011), fracture type (<0.001), and use of a walking aid before fracture (=0.004). Significant differences were also detected in HGS test scores with respect to all independent variables tested: age (<0.001), sex (<0.001), fracture type (<0.001), and use of a walking aid before fracture (=0.035).

CONCLUSION

Increasing age, female sex, having a hip fracture, and use of a walking aid before fracture predicted reduction in the physical function and strength among older adults with LBF.