Associations Between Upper Extremity Activity Capacity and Strength and Post-Operative Ambulation After Geriatric Hip...

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of upper extremity activity capacity and hand grip strength on early post-operative ambulation in geriatric patients undergoing hip arthroplasty for hip fracture. Methods: This study included patients over 70 years of age who underwent cementless bipolar hemiarthroplasty for geriatric femoral neck fracture to form a homogeneous cohort. This prospective study was terminated when the number of patients reached 102 after power analysis. Demographic data, cumulative ambulation scores (CASs), quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (QDASH) scores, and hand grip strength (HGS) were recorded both pre-operatively and post-operatively (3rd and 30th days). The presence of a linear relationship between the numerical and ordinal variables was analyzed using correlation analysis. Results: The mean age of the patients was 78.8 years (range: 70-93 years). There was a positive correlation between the HGS and CAS (r = 0.717, p < 0.05). A negative correlation was found between HGS, age (r = -0.529, p < 0.05), and QDASH scores (r = -0.408, p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the QDASH score, HGS, and CAS, and a positive correlation between the QDASH score and age (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study showed a direct relationship between post-operative ambulation capacity, upper extremity activity capacity, and hand grip strength in geriatric hip fractures. While older age negatively affects this capacity, upper extremity activity capacity and hand grip strength positively affect it.