Healing Hips
Reported May 30, 2005

ST. LOUIS (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Each year, 300,000 hips break in the United States. Breaking a hip can be excruciating. Many patients lose so much function that they never get back to normal activities. Now, longer, more intense rehab may be just what patients need to get back on track.

Fenton and John don’t look very busy today, but they’ve got their work cut out for them. A new program has them stretching, lifting and pushing themselves back to health after breaking a hip. "I really think I'll be stronger and better off afterwards,” Fenton tells Ivanhoe.

He's right. A new study shows extending rehab by six months means better recovery after hip fractures. Geriatrician Ellen Binder, M.D., says, “The more intense training regimen produced a greater increase in physical functioning, in mobility, and in performance of daily activities.”

Dr. Binder, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, recommends stretching and improving flexibility first. Then she adds weight training -- something these patients were thought to be too frail for in the past. “A much higher percentage of them were able to walk without an assisted device at the end of the six months,” Dr. Binder says.

Ralph Cline broke his hip last year. He’s gone from lifting 81 pounds to 116 pounds. He says: “Actually, it’s really helped me out. I’m stronger now than I was 20 years ago.”

Cline is where John and Fenton hope to be in a few months. John says, “I’m going to join the Fred Astaire School for Dancing!” But first, he'll focus on his early recovery and put those big dreams on hold ... at least for now.

The program focuses on flexibility, balance, coordination, motor speed, and strength. Dr. Binder says patients should advocate for themselves and ask for longer rehabilitation after they break a hip. Typically, rehab only involves between three and twelve weeks of therapy.

If you would like more information, please contact:
Diane Duke Williams
Public Relations
Washington University School of Medicine
4444 Forest Park
Campus Box 8508
St. Louis, MO 63108-2212
(314) 286-0111
williamsdia@wustl.edu