Effect of Early Mobilization on Gait Recovery One Year After Hip Fracture Surgery: A Single-Center Cohort Study

To investigate the effects of early mobilization on walking independence and gait recovery one year after hip fracture surgery.

This cohort study included 104 patients aged ≥65 years. Patients were divided into two groups: early mobilization (EM; postoperative mobilization on the day after surgery) and late mobilization (LM; postoperative mobilization ≥2 days after surgery) groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of EM on independent walking and recovery to pre-injury walking status one year postoperatively. Independent walking was defined as a walking functional independent measure (FIM) of ≥5.

The number of older patients able to walk independently at discharge and one year postoperatively after hip fracture surgery was 63 (60.6%) and 66 (63.5%), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that EM was associated with independent walking at one year postoperatively (odds ratio, 3.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-11.06; P=0.001). However, EM was not associated with recovery to pre-injury walking status one year postoperatively (P=0.22).

Early postoperative mobilization significantly increased the likelihood of independent walking one year after hip fracture surgery in older adults. Patients who mobilized early were nearly four times more likely to achieve this outcome, underscoring the importance of EM in postoperative care. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and address barriers to implementing EM in clinical practice.