Effectiveness of self-exercise on elderly patients after hip fracture : A retrospective cohort study

The purpose of this study was to clarify the impact of self-exercise for elderly patients in an acute hospital after hip fracture. This retrospective observational study used data from the Japan Rehabilitation Database spanning 2005−2015. This study identified in-hospital hip fracture patients admitted to an acute hospital. After applying exclusion criteria, 375 patients were eligible. The primary outcome was motor Functional Independence Measure (FIM) efficiency. Of the patients with hip fracture, 39% performed self-exercises. Patients who performed self-exercise had significantly higher motor FIM efficiency than those who did not (1.22 vs. 0.79 ; P < 0.01). Multivariable regression analysis showed that motor FIM efficiency was significantly and positively correlated with self-exercise (coefficient, 0.25 ; 95% confidence interval, 0.13 to 0.43 ; P < 0.01). The data suggest that self-exercise is associated with good rehabilitation outcomes in hip fracture patients.