Is quality of life related to risk of falling, fear of falling, and functional status in patients with hip arthroplasty?

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between health-related quality of life and risk of falling, fear of falling, and functional status in patients with hip arthroplasty. In this cross-sectional study, 48 hips of 45 patients who aged between 33 and 79 (53.56±12.50) years and had cementless total hip arthroplasty between 2010 and 2014 were evaluated. Twenty-seven of the patients participated in the study were female (60.0%) and 18 were male (40.0%). Health-related quality of life with Nottingham Health Profile, function of the hip joint with Harris Hip Score, risk of falling with Performance-Oriented Motion Assessment I, and fear of falling with Falls Efficacy Scale were assessed. In addition, chair stand test, 40-m walk test, stair-climb test, and single leg stance test were carried out. In analysing the relationships between these parameters, Pearson correlation analysis was employed. The level of significance was considered as p<0.05. Among the cases, who were evaluated 87.10±45.22 (22.43-214.71) weeks after the operation, a significant correlation was found between health-related quality of life and risk of falling, function of hip joint, and functional tests (p<0.05). The evaluation of the factors related to health-related quality of life in hip arthroplasty patients may help identify patient needs and guide the rehabilitation process.