A Comparative Study of Risk Factors for Falls in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Patients and Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Objectives: Falls in older adults are a public health concern, yet little is known about falls in adults with hip or knee total joint arthroplasty (TJA) who may be at a higher risk than the general population. The study objectives were to compare the number of fallers and fear of falling in TJA patients to age and sex matched community controls, and determine whether the type of risk factors for falls reported in TJA differed from the community group.

Methods: A cross sectional comparative study was conducted with patients waiting or recovering from TJA and age and sex matched comparison group of older adults residing in the community. Reported falls and risk factors for falling were compared to age and sex matched controls from the community. Fear of falling was measured using the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. Logistic regression was used to determine risk factors associated with falls in TJA and community participants.

Results: Of the 198 TJA participants, 29% (n = 57) reported falls within the past 12 months compared to 24% (n = 24) of 100 participants in the control group (p = 0.36). Of those who fell, 25 (44%) were recurrent fallers in the TJA cohort compared with 6 (25%) in the community cohort. Eleven participants reported falls after TJA surgery. Fear of falling was greater in the TJA group (ABC score, mean ± SD: 67.1 ± 24.4) than in the community group (88.1 ± 14.9) (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Although the number of participants who reported falls was comparable in both groups, the TJA group had more recurrent falls, different risk factors for falls, and more fear of falling. Fall prevention programs should be embedded in pre-operative programs for patients undergoing surgery for TJA.