This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Study: Older patients with distal radius fractures had impaired postural stability
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Results from a recently published case-control study demonstrated older patients with low-energy distal radial fractures had impaired postural stability compared with patients without such fractures.
“Our study finds that older adults who sustain a wrist fracture are more likely to have poor balance compared to those who have not sustained this injury,” Craig R. Louer, MD, lead study author and orthopedic surgery resident at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a press release from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. “These fractures should signal the need for an evaluation and possible treatment for balance deficits to decrease the risk of subsequent higher risk injuries, such as hip or spine fractures.”
Researchers performed a case-control evaluation of 23 patients treated for low-energy distal radial fractures and 23 control participants without any prior fractures. All participants completed a balance evaluation using a computerized balance platform device, and investigators produced dynamic motion analysis scores. Questionnaires completed included the EuroQol-5 (EQ-5D) and physical activity scale for the elderly. Investigators also evaluated patients’ health information, demographics and whether patients had undergone treatment for compromised balance or osteoporosis.
Results showed no significant differences between patients with distal radius fractures and controls with regard to age, gender, BMI, physical activity scores or the EQ-5D 3 level version general health VAS scores. Investigators noted patients with fractures had poorer balance and higher dynamic motion analysis scores, with 933 points for the fracture group vs. 790 points for the control group. There were 19 patients with fractures that had dual X-ray absorptiometry scans within 5 years before the study; however, two patients were referred to physical therapy for balance training. ‒ by Monica Jaramillo
References:
Louer CR, et al. J Bone Surg Am. 2016;doi:10.2106/JBJS.15.00963.
Disclosures: Louer reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.