Functional ability before and after rehabilitation in elderly patients with shortening and/or rotational deformity of the lower limb after hip fracture.

Abstract

Shortening and rotational deformity of the lower limb (SRD) is a major complication of hip fracture surgery. It causes not only hip joint dysfunction but also functional impairments due to abnormal gait parameters, decreased gait velocity, and poor balance. Despite a number of previous studies, the effect of SRD on the postsurgical recovery of these patients is still not clear. To compare the functional abilities and balance before and after rehabilitation for people with and without SRD after hip fracture surgery and to assess whether SRD affects rehabilitation. Prospective observational study. Inpatients of a rehabilitation unit. A total of 102 people with hip fracture (62 without SRD and 40 with SRD at the time of admission to the unit). Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) motor score, administered before and after rehabilitation. Motor rehabilitation. Before rehabilitation, patients with SRD had lower motor-FIM (p = .002) and BBS (p = .001) scores than those without SRD. After rehabilitation, both groups showed similar improvements in motor-FIM, BBS, range of motion, muscle strength, and pain scores (p < .001, for all), but patients with SRD still had lower motor-FIM and BBS scores (p = .014 and .003, respectively) and lower effectiveness in motor-FIM and BBS (p = .039 and p = .034, respectively) than those without SRD. SRD is associated with lower levels of balance and functional abilities before and after rehabilitation and it adversely affects rehabilitation for patients with hip fractures.