Improving Community Ambulation After Hip Fracture

Summary

Activity and exercise are believed to be of benefit for reducing disability in older adults, yet the majority of older adults do not participate in regular exercise and is not active. This is especially true for older adults following hip fracture after they complete the usual rehabilitation program.

This study is being done to compare two 16-week supervised multi-part physical therapy programs (interventions) initiated up to 26 weeks after hip fracture. The investigators want to test whether the interventions lead to improvements in a person's ability to walk on their own in the home and in the local community. With this knowledge the investigators hope to help a greater number of hip fracture patients enjoy a more complete recovery and improved overall health.

ANCILLARY STUDY #1 - MECHANISTIC PATHWAYS TO COMMUNITY AMBULATION (CAP-MP) The goal of this ancillary study is to investigate several mechanisms thought to be related to recovery in ambulatory ability after hip fracture. Selected mechanistic pathways are being investigated by obtaining mechanistic measurements of the participants randomized in the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) clinical site of CAP.

ANCILLARY STUDY #2 - DIET AND DIETARY PATTERNS IN OLDER ADULTS UNDERGOING HIP FRACTURE REHABILITATION The goal of this ancillary study is to analyze dietary patterns for the nutritional characterization of older adults recovering from a hip fracture. The identified dietary patterns, as well as motivators and barriers to intake, will be assessed for their impact on the rate of return to community ambulation in participants randomized at the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC) clinical site of CAP.

ANCILLARY STUDY #3 - ROLE OF GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN STRENGTH AND FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AFTER HIP FRACTURE The goal of this ancillary study is to assess the impact of glucose metabolism on strength and functional performance following resistance training in participants randomized at the UCHC clinical site of CAP.

ANCILLARY STUDY #4 - MUSCLE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING RECOVERY OF FUNCTION AFTER HIP FRACTURE The goal of this ancillary study is to understand some of the key muscle mechanisms associated with recovery in community ambulation following hip fracture in response to the two interventions for participants randomized at the Arcadia University (AU) clinical site of CAP.

Conditions

• Hip Fracture

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Nutrition

Participants receive 2000 IU vitamin D3, 600 mg calcium, and a multivitamin daily for the duration of the study. Nutritional counseling is also provided. Participants are screened at time of randomization to assess nutritional risk using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form and contacted by a registered dietician (RD) within 7 days of randomization. Those who score ≤7 (malnourished) and participants with baseline serum albumin 2.5-3.5 g/dl receive a visit from an RD with follow-up a week later. Participants who score 8-11 (at risk of malnutrition) and have serum albumin level \>3.5 g/dl receive a phone call from the RD and may receive an in-person visit if warranted. Those screening in the normal range (12-14) and have serum albumin level \>3.5 g/dl receive a phone call from the RD. Weight is monitored every 4 weeks. Those who lose 2% or more body weight receive a call from the RD. Those who lose 5% or more body weight between baseline and follow-up may be referred to an RD.

BEHAVIORAL

PUSH

Strength components of the muscle performance intervention are performed using a portable progressive resistive exercise device (Shuttle® MiniPress, Contemporary Design Company, P.O. Box 5089, Glacier, Washington 98244). Muscle performance focuses on bilateral hip extensors, hip abductors, knee extensors, and plantar flexors. Balance and strength are addressed with additional exercises performed while standing. The endurance intervention begins with 2-3 minutes of continuous upper and lower extremity active range of motion (AROM) with the participant sitting in order to increase the participants' heart rate (HR) or exertion closer to the target zone. The participant is then asked to walk on level surfaces and/or up and down steps to keep the HR within the training zone for 20 minutes.

BEHAVIORAL

PULSE

During the AROM exercises, participants work to increase flexibility and range of motion. Exercises include the neck, shoulders, arms, trunk, hips, knees and ankles. During all AROM exercises, the participant focuses on deep breathing techniques. The second part of the session uses transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on lower extremity muscle groups to decrease pain, thereby allowing greater ease of mobility. TENS uses low-level electrical current to stimulate superficial cutaneous nerve fibers through the skin. Flexible carbonized, disposable electrodes coated with a self-adhesive conductive polymer will be applied to the skin bilaterally near the motor points on muscle bellies (the gluteal complex, the quadriceps, and the gastrocnemius) for 7 minutes per muscle group.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• Arcadia University

  collaborator OTHER

• UConn Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Maryland, Baltimore

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jay Magaziner, PhD, MSHyg · University of Maryland

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-06-10

Primary Completion

2017-10-17

Completion

2017-10-17

Countries

• United States

Study Locations