A home exercise program may help high-risk, elderly women avoid falls that lead to hip fractures, according to results of a seven-year study of 160 Finnish seniors. Falls are responsible for at least 90% of all hip frac- tures, noted Raija Korpelainen, PhD, of Oulu Deaconess Institute in Finland, and colleagues, reporting their results in Archives of In- ternal Medicine. Hip fractures place the greatest demands on resources and have the greatest effect on patients because they are associated with high mortality rates and increased morbidity.
Korpelainen and colleagues divided the women, ages 70 to 73, all of whom suffered from osteopenia (a reduction in bone mass, or low levels of bone cal- cium), into two groups. Women assigned to an exercise group received six months of weekly supervised balance, leg strength and impact training sessions. They were then asked to continue 20-minute daily exercise sessions at home. A control group received only gen- eral health tips and made no changes in daily activities.
During an average followup period of 7.1 years, women in the exercise group were less likely to be hospitalized with fractures of any kind and had no hip fractures, compared to fve in the control group. Exercising women showed positive effects on balance and gait and signifcant gains in leg strength compared with the control group. Participants in the exercise group scored better on tests of walking speed, walking distance, functional ability and mood. Mortality was also signifcant- ly lower in the exercise group than in the control group during the followup period.
Korpelainen and colleagues con- cluded, Thirty months of supervised, mainly home-based exercises followed by voluntary home training had a positive long-term effect on balance and gait in high-risk elderly women. Additionally, life-long physical activity was associated with reduced risk of fractures.… Regu- lar daily physical activity should be recommended to elderly women with osteopenia. Archives of Internal Medicine, Sept. 27, 2010; abstract at <archinte. ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/17/1548 >