The correlation between fear of falling and upper extremity muscle strength

Objectives: To determine the relationship between fear of falling (FOF) and upper extremity muscle strength. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 112 hospitalized, mobile patients. Forty-seven (42%) were males and 65 (58%) were females, and the mean age was 72.3. The study was carried out between September 2018 and September 2019 at Balikli Rum Hospital Nursing Homes, Istanbul, Turkey. Patients were tested using geriatric tools (such as Mini-Mental State Examination) and physical tests such as handgrip, key pinch and 6-meter up and go tests. Results: The average annual falling number of elderly people with FOF was statistically significantly higher than that in those without FOF (p=0.001). Right handgrip, left handgrip, right key pinch, and left key-pinch mean values in elderly individuals with FOF were statistically significantly lower than those without FOF (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The measurement of upper extremity strength could be a predicting parameter of FOF.

Automated summary

This study investigated the relationship between fear of falling (FOF) and upper extremity muscle strength in hospitalized elderly patients. The results showed that elderly individuals with FOF had a higher risk of falling and weaker upper extremity strength compared to those without FOF.