OBCOSF.COM

Football players wouldn’t think of getting on the field without their protective equipment. But gridiron heroes are probably at less risk of a hip fracture than the frail elderly. Now they have their own equipment.

Despite the marshalling of health resources to diagnose and treat osteoporosis and to create safe environments in the prevention of hip fractures in the elderly, a simple device worn under the clothing may be the most effective remedy so far.

Hip fractures in the elderly are considered serious medical conditions because the disability leads to a high rate of mortality. Reasons for this include reduced physical activity as well as morbidities associated with treatment of the fractures including pulmonary thromboembolism and pneumonia.

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published data that appears to answer the question of whether a hip protector reduces the risk of hip fractures, according to a summary of the research which appeared in the  2008 Journal of Family Practice.

For ambulatory patients age 70 and over with at least one risk factor for hip fracture, hip protectors were worn for 18 months. The results of the study done in Finland showed a 50% reduction in hip fractures in a 1 year period compared to a control group that did not use the protection.

In a follow-up study, 13 patients in the hip protector group had a hip fracture, compared to 67 patients who had hip fractures in the control group which did not use hip protectors.