Abstract
Background: most fractures are preceded by falls. Objective: the aim of this study was to determine whether tests of physical performance are associated with fractures. Subjects: a total of 10,998 men aged 65 years or above were recruited. Methods: questionnaires evaluated falls sustained 12 months before administration of the grip strength test, the timed stand test, the six-metre walk test and the twenty-centimetre narrow walk test. Means with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) are reported. P < 0.05 is a statistically significant difference. Results: fallers with a fracture performed worse than non-fallers on all tests (all P < 0.001). Fallers with a fracture performed worse than fallers with no fractures both on the right-hand-grip strength test and on the six-metre walk test (P < 0.001). A score below -2 standard deviations in the right-hand-grip strength test was associated with an odds ratio of 3.9 (95% CI: 2.1-7.4) for having had a fall with a fracture compared with having had no fall and with an odds ratio of 2.6 (95% CI: 1.3-5.2) for having had a fall with a fracture compared with having had a fall with no fracture.Conclusion: the right-hand-grip strength test and the six-metre walk test performed by old men help discriminate fallers with a fracture from both fallers with no fracture and non-fallers.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | afs010 |
Pages (from-to) | 339-344 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Age and Ageing |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2012 |
Keywords
- Elderly
- Falls
- Fractures
- Men
- Old
- Physical performance tests
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aging
- Geriatrics and Gerontology