Does Mobility of the Elderly with Hip Fractures Improve at One Year Following Surgery? A 5-year Prospective Survey.

Abstract

Hip fracture and its consequences are one of the major causes of morbidity and disability in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to collect epidemiologic data and assess the daily activities and walking ability of patients 3 months and 1 year following surgery because of a hip fracture. We prospectively obtained data of all consecutive patients more than 50 years of age with any type of hip fracture from 2008 to 2013. After excluding pathologic fractures, hip fracture dislocations, non-surgically treated cases, and dead patients, functional status of the subjects at 3 months and 1 year after surgery was evaluated using a 10-degree scale of pain, modified Barthel index of daily activity, and independent walking ability. In total, 1015 cases were enrolled. Mean age was 75.6 year with a female to male ratio of 1.33. Left-sided hip fractures were seen in 51.7 % of cases. Intertrochanteric fractures were the most common type (72.1 %), followed by femoral neck (24.0 %) and subtrochanteric fractures (3.9 %). At both 3-month and 1-year follow-up visits, 562 subjects (317 women and 245 men) completed the questionnaires. Activities of daily living and independent walking ability were improved significantly at 1 year and the improvements were statistically superior to the results obtained at 3 months (p-value < 0.001 for both variables). By continuing rehabilitation of elderly patients with surgically-treated hip fractures for one year, improvement in activities of life and walking independence can be expected even if they have a poor result after the first 3 months of rehabilitation.