Recovery Trajectories of Motor Function After Hip Fracture Surgery in Older Patients: A Multicenter Growth Mixture...

Background/Objective: Hip fractures in older adults are a major public health concern due to their high rates of morbidity, mortality, and long-term disability. Although surgical and postoperative care have improved, recovery outcomes remain highly variable. Identifying early functional recovery patterns could support individualized rehabilitation and discharge planning. This study aimed to identify distinct early recovery trajectories of motor function within 30 days after hip fracture surgery using growth mixture modeling (GMM) and to examine patient- and hospital-level factors associated with these patterns. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Nagano Hip Fracture Database, including 2423 patients aged ≥65 years across 17 acute care hospitals in Japan (2019-2024). Functional recovery was measured using the motor subscale of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM-motor) at 0, 7, and 28 days post-admission. Latent trajectory model was used to identify distinct recovery patterns. Multinomial logistic regression analyzed predictors of class membership. Results: Three recovery trajectories were identified: high/rapid improvement (26.7%), intermediate (32.6%), and poor/flat recovery (40.7%). Older age, cognitive impairment, and lower baseline mobility were strongly associated with membership in the poor-recovery class. Early trajectory classes significantly predicted discharge outcomes, including FIM-motor scores and discharge destination. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of findings, with minimal impact from hospital-level clustering. Conclusions: Distinct early recovery trajectories exist after hip fracture surgery and are strongly influenced by baseline cognitive and functional status. Early identification of recovery patterns can enhance personalized rehabilitation and inform discharge planning, offering valuable insights for clinical practice.