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Updated: Oct 21, 2026
Method and Instrumented Fixture for Femoral Fracture Testing in a Sideways Fall-on-the-Hip Position
Published on: August 17, 2017
Circumstances of fall-related fracture events among men in late life
Kristine E Ensrud1,2, Sheena Patel3, Lisa Langsetmo4
1Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. ensru001@umn.edu.
Abstract:
Among older men, most fractures occur in late life and are fall-related. We followed 1469 late-life (average age 90 years) men for 3 years to characterize the circumstances of 160 incident fall-related fracture events. Most were due to minimal trauma and occurred indoors when the activity level was normal or less.
Introduction:
Of fractures in older men, most are fall-related and occur in men 80 years and older. To better guide the development of fracture prevention approaches in late-life men, detailed information on fall-related fracture events was collected in a cohort of 1469 active surviving men (mean age 90 years) in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study from March 2021 until November 2024.
Methods:
Participants were contacted every 4 months to identify fractures confirmed by radiographic report. Fractures are classified as fall- or non-fall-related and characterized by the degree of trauma. Participants further queried about where, when and how fractures occurred.
Results:
During a mean follow-up of 3 years, there were 169 confirmed clinical fracture events not due to malignancy or severe external trauma; of these, 160 (94.7%) were fall-related. Most fall-related events were due to falls from ≤standing height (88.1%), occurred indoors (70.6%), and when self-reported activity level was ≤normal (82.5%). Regular use of a walking aid was commonly reported (56.3%); however, of the interviews reporting regular use, 42% indicated that the aid was not in use at the time the event occurred. Fall-related events resulted in fractures across multiple skeletal locations; all fracture types most often occurred indoors, except upper limb fractures that most often occurred outdoors (p = 0.001).
Conclusion:
Most clinical fracture events in late-life men are fall-related, due to minimal trauma, occur indoors and when activity level is normal or less. Findings suggest that fracture prevention research in this patient group should prioritize evaluation of interventions that may reduce the risk of indoor falls.
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