Comparison of Balance, Proprioception and Skeletal Muscle Mass in Total Hip Replacement Patients With and Without Fracture: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there was a difference in balance, proprioception, and skeletal muscle mass among patients who undergo hip fracture surgery relative to and elective total hip replacement (THR). METHODS Thirty-one THR patients were enrolled. The patients were categorized into two groups: fracture group (n=15) and non-fracture group (n=16). Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was used to balance the proprioception of the hip joint while a joint position sense (JPS) test was used to evaluate it. Skeletal muscle mass was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis and expressed as a skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). Quality of life (QOL) was also assessed using a 36-item short form health survey (SF-36). All tests were assessed at 3 months after the surgery. An independent t-test was used to compare the fracture group and non-fracture group. Spearman correlation was used to identify the correlation of each variable. RESULTS In an independent t-test, the BBS score of patients undergoing elective surgery was higher than the BBS score of patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. There was a significant correlation between the BBS and JPS score after a THR. SMI also correlated with the score of BBS. CONCLUSION It seems that THR patients undergoing surgery for a hip fracture might have more trouble balancing than elective THR patients. Therefore THR patients undergoing hip fracture surgery might need more care during rehabilitation.