One Week of Hospitalization Following Elective Hip Surgery Induces Substantial Muscle Atrophy in Older Patients

Short successive periods of skeletal muscle disuse have been suggested to substantially contribute to the observed loss of skeletal muscle mass over the life span. Hospitalization of older individuals due to acute illness, injury, or major surgery generally results in a mean hospital stay of 5 to 7  days, during which the level of physical activity is strongly reduced. We hypothesized that hospitalization following elective total hip arthroplasty is accompanied by substantial leg muscle atrophy in older men and women.

Source: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association - August 11, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Imre W.K. Kouw, Bart B.L. Groen, Joey S.J. Smeets, Irene Fleur Kramer, Janneau M.X. van Kranenburg, Rach él Nilwik, Jan A.P. Geurts, René H.M. ten Broeke, Martijn Poeze, Luc J.C. van Loon, Lex B. Verdijk Tags: Original Study Source Type: research