Body Weight–Supported Treadmill Training for Patients With Hip Fracture: A Feasibility Study

Giangregorio LM, Thabane L, deBeer J, Farrauto L, McCartney N, Adachi JD, Papaioannou A. Body weight–supported treadmill training for patients with hip fracture: a feasibility study. Objective To determine the feasibility of body weight–supported treadmill training (BWSTT) as a strategy for improving independent ambulation among patients who had sustained a hip fracture. Design Nonrandomized controlled trial. Setting Inpatient rehabilitation. Participants Patients with a stable hip fracture and at least 50% weight-bearing. Intervention BWSTT in lieu of standard walking exercises throughout stay in rehabilitation. Main Outcomes Measures Feasibility outcomes included the number of patients agreeing to participate in treadmill walking, the number who returned for follow-up assessments, compliance, and the number of adverse events. Secondary outcomes included the Lower Extremity Functional Scale, the Timed Up & Go test, a 2-minute walk test, and the Falls Self-Efficacy Scale. Univariate regression was used to assess the group effect on score changes from baseline to discharge and from baseline to follow-up. Results Among 41 potentially eligible patients, 21 (51%) agreed to participate and 14 returned for follow-up assessments. The recruitment goal of 12 patients agreeing to BWSTT was achieved; however, retention by 3-month follow-up was 67%. The average compliance was 3 sessions a week; however, several patients were below average. No adverse events of BWSTT were reported. There were no significant differences between groups with respect to secondary outcomes. Conclusions BWSTT may be a feasible method for retraining gait among patients with hip fracture. However, future studies evaluating its efficacy need rigorous methods for ensuring compliance and retention.