Pre- and Postoperative Exercise Effectiveness in Mobility, Hemostatic Balance, and Prognostic Biomarkers in Hip Fracture Patients: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Apostolos Z. Skouras,
Dimitrios Antonakis-Karamintzas,
Charilaos Tsolakis,
Argirios E. Tsantes,
Georgia Kourlaba,
Ioannis Zafeiris,
Fotini Soucacos,
Georgios Papagiannis,
Athanasios Triantafyllou,
Dimitra Houhoula,
Olga Savvidou,
Panagiotis Koulouvaris
Affiliations
Apostolos Z. Skouras
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Dimitrios Antonakis-Karamintzas
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Charilaos Tsolakis
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Argirios E. Tsantes
Laboratory of Haematology and Blood Bank Unit, “Attiko” Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Georgia Kourlaba
Faculty of Health, Department of Nursing, University of Peloponnese, 23100 Sparta, Greece
Ioannis Zafeiris
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Fotini Soucacos
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Georgios Papagiannis
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Athanasios Triantafyllou
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Dimitra Houhoula
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, 12244 Egaleo, Greece
Olga Savvidou
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Panagiotis Koulouvaris
1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Hip fractures are a major health concern, particularly for older adults, as they can reduce life quality, mobility loss, and even death. Current evidence reveals that early intervention is recommended for endurance in patients with hip fractures. To our knowledge, preoperative exercise intervention in patients with hip fractures remains poorly researched, and no study has yet applied aerobic exercise preoperatively. This study aims to investigate the short-term benefits of a supervised preoperative aerobic moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT) program and the added effect of an 8-week postoperative MIIT aerobic exercise program with a portable upper extremity cycle ergometer. The work-to-recovery ratio will be 1-to-1, consisting of 120 s for each bout and four and eight rounds for the pre- and postoperative programs, respectively. The preoperative program will be delivered twice a day. A parallel group, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was planned to be conducted with 58 patients each in the intervention and control groups. This study has two primary purposes. First, to study the effect of a preoperative aerobic exercise program with a portable upper extremity cycle ergometer on immediate postoperative mobility. Second, to investigate the additional effect of an 8-week postoperative aerobic exercise program with a portable upper extremity cycle ergometer on the walking distance at eight weeks after surgery. This study also has several secondary objectives, such as ameliorating surgical and keeping hemostatic balance throughout exercise. This study may expand our knowledge of preoperative exercise effectiveness in hip fracture patients and enhance the current literature about early intervention benefits.
