The Influence of Aging on Bone Health: Analyzing the Effects of Sarcopenia on Orthopedic Rehabilitation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i1.393Keywords:
Sarcopenia, Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Muscle Function, Aging, Functional RecoveryAbstract
Sarcopenia, a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, poses a critical challenge in geriatric orthopedic care, particularly in the context of postoperative rehabilitation. The research examined how sarcopenia affects recovery results in elderly patients who receive orthopedic surgery. The research adopted a prospective cohort approach to enroll elderly patients whose surgical procedure was either elective or emergency-based orthopedic surgery. The EWGSOP2 criteria established the diagnosis of sarcopenia through assessments of muscle strength together with muscle mass and physical performance measurements. The study analyzed postoperative outcomes between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients by evaluating independent ambulation duration and pain scores together with functional mobility and hospital stay length and complication rates. The study findings revealed that patients with sarcopenia required longer time to achieve independent ambulation (median 11 vs. 7 days, p < 0.001), suffered elevated pain measurements at day 3 and discharge and exhibited worse functional outcomes together with higher rates of complications and 30-day readmissions. Sarcopenia proved itself as a stand-alone factor that predicts unfavorable rehabilitation results following age, sex, BMI and comorbidities adjustments in multivariable regression. Preoperative screening of sarcopenia shows critical medical value while highlighting that targeted preoperative treatment plans might elevate rehabilitation successes with lessened adverse occurrences. Sarcopenia evaluation within orthopedic care trajectories helps identify patient risk better and creates specific rehabilitation plans which results in improved surgical results for elderly patients.
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