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Affiliation
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Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, 680 N Lake Shore Dr., Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60611, (USA), and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. |
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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Arms are important for locomotor stability and preventing falls by controlling whole-body angular momentum, redirecting the body's center-of-mass, and providing support to arrest descent. Hence, upper limb loss (ULL) may increase fall risk. Unfortunately, prevalence of falls and factors that influence fall risk have not previously been reported for people with ULL.
OBJECTIVE: This study quantified fall prevalence in persons with ULL at or proximal to the wrist and identified clinical factors that contributed to the likelihood of falling.
DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study.
METHODS: Factors including body and health characteristics, activity level, fall history, prosthesis use, and balance confidence were collected on persons with ULL proximal to the wrist using an online survey. Logistic regression analyses assessed the contribution of these factors to the classification of fallers (≥2 falls in previous year) and non-fallers.
RESULTS: A percentage (28.6%) of participants (n = 105) reported experiencing two or more falls in the past year. The regression model (R2 = 0.473) correctly classified 84.5% of cases and indicated that increased likelihood of falling was significantly influenced by lower balance confidence, use of upper limb prostheses, and lower physical capabilities. LIMITATIONS: Data were collected online from a convenience sample and fall classification was based on retrospective data.
CONCLUSIONS: Falls in persons with ULL are prevalent, suggesting that clinicians should use screening methods to identify at-risk individuals. Balance confidence, use of upper limb prostheses, and perceived physical capabilities may be useful screening metrics. Research is warranted to better understand the factors that underlie fall risk in persons with ULL and efficacy of therapeutic interventions capable of mitigating fall risk.
Language: en |