Domiciliary physiotherapy for old people who have fallen

One hundred patients aged 65 and over who had recently fallen were allocated to a short or a long course of domiciliary physiotherapy. Mobility, gait and balance were measured before, and 2 and 4 months after, completion of treatment. Falls occurred in fewer than one-half of the patients following treatment, and improvement in mobility and balance was recorded in one-third to one-half of patients. There was no difference in outcome between patients treated for short or for longer periods. If domiciliary physiotherapy is beneficial in this type of patient no advantage is conferred by prolonging the course of treatment.