Hip fracture surgery results in challenges in mobility and self-care, and interrupts an individual’s usual activity in older adults more compared to younger people, according to a study published on Jan. 20 in Cureus.
Data came from surveys conducted between 2016 and 2019. A total of 199 people who underwent hip surgery shared information on quality of life after their operations. The average age of people was 75.45 and 51.8% were men.
There was a statistically significant link between age and mobility issues, self-care and usual activity in people who had the surgeries. Men were more likely to have problems taking care of themselves compared to women. Other issues that people had after surgery included anxiety and depression, but they didn’t seem to be as prominent as the others.
Authors of the study say people who undergo surgery for hip fracture should be educated about the decline in quality of life they may experience after surgery, as well as tools to help them regain function (such as post-surgery rehabilitation). Additionally, the researchers say that periodic screening should be done after surgery to assess for any additional decreases in quality of life. Making those reviews standard would be a positive step to improve patients’ quality of life, the authors said.
“Our results demonstrated that performing usual activities significantly decreases with age. This can be explained by the fact that the body’s capacity to tolerate and recover from stressors, such as hip fractures, is impeded by the drop in physiological reserves that is brought on by aging,” the authors wrote.
Even though the number of people studied was low, the researchers say it’s important to understand how hip surgery can impact people especially considering the economic climate.
The news comes as a report released Tuesday in JAMA Network Open found there is a notable link between older adults who have trouble walking and having a higher risk for fracture. The authors also found that the risk for fracture can increase depending on the trouble a person has walking longer distances.
