Joint proprioception in the elderly with and without hip fracture

Objectives: Decreased proprioception may contribute to the risk of falls in elderly patients. The purpose of this study is to determine whether patien ts with hip fractures have decreased hip proprioception compared with aged- matched controls, and whether hip proprioception differs in patients with r epaired fractures compared with patients who have undergone prosthetic hip replacement after hip fracture. Design: Retrospective. Patients/Participants: Both hips of twenty-four hip fracture patients and a ge-matched patients without hip fractures were studied. Hip fracture patien ts were divided into osteosynthesis (twelve hips) and hemiarthroplasty (twe lve hips) groups. Intervention: Reproducibility of index angles (thirty hip flexion and thirt y hip abduction) were compared with a six-degree-of-freedom electrogoniomet er (instrumented spatial linkage; angular accuracy +/- 0.5 degrees). Results: There was no significant difference (flexion, p > 0.20; abduction, p > 0.67) in joint proprioception between fracture and no fracture groups. Likewise, there was no difference (flexion, p > 0.99, abduction; p > 0.74) in joint proprioception between osteosynthesis and hemiarthroplasty groups . Conclusions: Joint proprioception of hip fracture patients was not found to be diminished compared with age-matched normal controls. Additionally, rep lacement of the femoral head did not reduce joint proprioception compared w ith osteosynthesis with an intact femoral head. Maintenance of the femoral head does not seem to be necessary for the maintenance of joint propriocept ion in elderly hip fracture patients.