Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
Method and Instrumented Fixture for Femoral Fracture Testing in a Sideways Fall-on-the-Hip Position
Published on: August 17, 2017
The relation between previous fractures and physical performance in elderly women
Paul Gerdhem1, Karin A Ringsberg, Kristina Akesson
1Department of Orthopaedics, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. paul.gerdhem@skane.se
Objective:
To examine the association between previous fracture and different aspects of physical performance.
Design:
Population-based retrospective study.
Setting:
Orthopaedic research department.
Participants:
Randomly selected women (N = 1044), all 75 years old and participants of the Malmö Osteoporosis Prospective Risk Assessment study.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Type of and time since any previous fracture event were compared with results of tests on physical performance function (Romberg test, computerized sway test, gait speed, questionnaire) at the age of 75.
Results:
Women with no previous fractures (n = 505) had a better median Romberg balance of 94 seconds (interquartile range [IQR], 75-118s) than women with 1, 2, or 3 or more fractures, who had a median balance of 88 seconds (IQR, 71-111s), 85 seconds (IQR, 68-107s), and 81 seconds (IQR, 65-109s), respectively (Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, P = .002). Balance was inferior in women who had sustained a previous fracture between the ages of 65 and 75 years compared with women with no previous fractures or fractures before the age of 65 years. Gait speed and questions on tendency to fall followed the same pattern. The computerized sway test could not differ between women with and without previous fractures.
Conclusions:
Poor physical performance is associated with previous fractures. Inferior physical performance may exist up to 10 years after a fracture.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
01:19The Effect of Aging on Tissues