According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the following outcomes are linked to hip fractures:
- “A large proportion of fall deaths are due to complications following a hip fracture.8 One out of five hip fracture patients dies within a year of their injury.9
- Treatment typically includes surgery and hospitalization, usually for about one week2, and is frequently followed by admission to a nursing home and extensive rehabilitation.10
- Up to one in four adults who lived independently before their hip fracture remains in a nursing home for at least a year after their injury.11
Hip fractures can be prevented by preventing falls. Fall prevention strategies include:
- Exercising regularly. It’s important that the exercise increase leg strength and improve balance and gradually become more challenging.17 Tai Chi programs are especially good.18
- Asking your doctor or pharmacist to review medicines—both prescription and over-the counter—to identify medicine with side effects and interactions that may cause dizziness or drowsiness.
- Having your vision checked by an eye doctor at least once a year and updating eyeglasses to maximize vision. Consider getting a pair with single vision distance lenses for some activities such as walking outside.
- Making home safety improvements by reducing tripping hazards, adding grab bars inside and outside the tub or shower and next to the toilet, adding stair railings, and improving lighting.
Additional ways to lower hip fracture risk include:
- Getting adequate calcium and vitamin D in your diet.
- Doing weight bearing exercise.
- Getting screened and treated for osteoporosis.”
A client that I have been training in her home for about 2 1/2 years now took a bad fall last spring and broke her hip. She was unaware of these statistics. I, however, was fully aware and was very cautious to pick up her training where we left off just months after her surgery. She is doing great and credits staying active and doing weight bearing exercises regularly before and after the accident to her speedy recovery.
Performing weight bearing exercise can help prevent hip fractures
The original article from the CDC can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adulthipfx.html