Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Efficacy of home-based exercise for improving quality of life among elderly women with symptomatic osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Osteoporosis International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This randomized controlled trial was designed to investigate the effect of a 6-month home-based exercise program versus control (usual activities) on quality of life for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who had at least one vertebral fracture. Twelve-month assessments of outcomes were completed to determine if women would continue exercising with minimal supervision and if benefit could be sustained. The home exercise program followed a "lifestyle exercise" approach where participants completed exercises 60 min per day, 3 days a week and could complete exercises in small periods of time throughout the day. Exercise activities included stretching, strength training and aerobics (i.e. walking). Participants were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months using the Osteoporosis Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ), the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), a balance test, and the Timed Up And Go test. Bone mineral density was assessed at baseline and 12 months for both the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Quality of life (OQLQ) improved over 6 months in the exercise group compared to the control group in the domains of symptoms (P=0.003), emotion (P=0.01) and leisure (P=0.03). Results from the balance test indicated a greater effect in the exercise group over 12 months (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in measures of Timed Up and Go, SIP at 6 and 12 months, and femoral neck and lumbar spine bone mineral density at 12 months. Home-based exercise with minimal supervision improves quality of life in elderly women with vertebral fractures. Future research is needed to determine if home exercise programs reduce falls and fall-related injuries in the elderly.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Melton LJ III, Chrischilles EA, Cooper C et al. (1992) How many women have osteoporosis? J Bone Miner Res 7:1005–1010

    Google Scholar 

  2. Melton LJ III, Lane A, Cooper C et al. (1993) Prevalence and incidence of vertebral deformities. Osteoporos Int 3:113–119

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Gold DT (1996) The clinical impact of vertebral fractures: quality of life in women with osteoporosis. Bone 18:185S–189S

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Silverman SL (1992) The clinical consequences of vertebral compression fracture. Bone 13:S27–S31

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Center JR, Nguyen TV, Schneider D et al. (1999) Mortality after all major types of osteoporotic fracture in men and women: an observational study. Lancet 353:878–882

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Melton LJ III (2000) Excess mortality following vertebral fracture. J Am Geriatr Soc 48:338–339

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Osteoporosis Quality of Life Study Group (1997) Measuring quality of life in women with osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int 7:478–487

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cook DJ, Guyatt GH, Adachi JD et al. (1993) Quality of life issues in women with vertebral fractures due to osteoporosis. Arthr Rheum 36:750–756

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. McCartney N, Hicks AL, Martin J, Webber CE (1996) A longitudinal trial of weight training in the elderly: continued improvements in year 2. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 51:B425–B433

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Sinaki M, Khosla S, Limburg PJ, Rogers JW, Murtaugh PA (1993) Muscle strength in osteoporotic versus normal women. Osteoporos Int 3:8–12

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Malmros B, Mortensen L, Jensen MB, Charles P (1998) Positive effects of physiotherapy on chronic pain and performance in osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int 8:215–221

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Wallace BA, Cumming RG (2000) Systematic review of randomized trials of the effect of exercise on bone mass in pre- and postmenopausal women. Calcif Tissue Int 67:10–18

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Preisinger E, Kerschan-Schindl K, Wober C et al. (2001) The effect of calisthenic home exercises on postmenopausal fractures—a long-term observational study. Maturitas 40:61–67

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Guyatt GH, Walter S, Norman G (1987) Measuring change over time: Assessing the usefulness of evaluative instruments. J Chron Dis 40:171–178

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Juniper EF, Guyatt GH, Willan A, Griffith LE (1994) Determining a minimal important change in a disease-specific quality of life instrument. J Clin Epidemiol 47:81–87

    Google Scholar 

  16. Juniper EF, Guyatt GH, Feeny DH et al. (1996) Measuring quality of life in children with asthma. Quality of Life Res 5:35–46

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Bergner M, Bobbitt RA, Carter WB, Gilson BS (1981) The Sickness Impact Profile: development and final revision of a health status measure. Med Care 19:787–805

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Woolacott MH, Shumway-Cook A (1996) Concepts and methods for assessing postural instability. J Aging Phys Activ 4:214–233

    Google Scholar 

  19. Podsiadlo D, Richardson S (1991) The timed "up & go": a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc 39:142–148

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Oleksik A, Lips P, Dawson A et al. (2000) Health-related qualify of life in postmenopausal women with low BMD with or without prevalent vertebral fractures. J Bone Miner Res 15:1384–1392

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Garratt A, Schmidt L, Mackintosh A, Fitzpatrick R (2002) Quality of life measurement: bibliographic study of patient assessed health outcome measures. BMJ 324:1417

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Lord SR, Ward JA, Williams P, Anstey KJ (1994) Physiological factors associated with falls in older community-dwelling women. J Am Geriatr Soc 42:1110–1117

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Rubenstein LZ, Powers CM, MacLean CH (2001) Quality indicators for the management and prevention of falls and mobility problems in vulnerable elders. Ann Int Med 135:686–693

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Province MA, Hadley EC, Hornbrook MC et al. (1995) The effects of exercise on falls in elderly patients. A pre-planned meta-analysis of the FICSIT Trials. Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques. JAMA 273:1341–1347

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. LeBlanc AD, Evans HJ, Marsh C, Schneider V, Johnson PC, Jhingran SG (1986) Precision of dual photon absorptiometry measurements. J Nucl Med 27:1362–1365

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Robertson M, Devlin N, Gardner M, Campbell A (2001) Effectiveness and economic evaluation of a nurse delivered home exercise programme to prevent falls. BMJ 322:697–701

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Drummond Foundation for their financial support for this study. We also wish to thank George Ioannidis for his assistance with the manuscript. In addition, we wish to thank Suzanne Baker, Mandy Vyce and Colleen Connolly for their assistance with data collection. This study was supported by a research grant from the Drummond Foundation

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    A. Papaioannou & J. D. Adachi

  2. Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    K. Winegard & N. McCartney

  3. Department of Clinical Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    N. Ferko

  4. School Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    W. Parkinson

  5. Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, University of Waterloo, Canada

    R. J. Cook

  6. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    C. Webber

  7. Hamilton Health Sciences, Chedoke Hospital, Wilcox Building, Sanatorium Road, Box 2000 Station A, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3Z5, Canada

    A. Papaioannou

Authors
  1. A. Papaioannou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. D. Adachi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K. Winegard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. N. Ferko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. W. Parkinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. R. J. Cook
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. C. Webber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. N. McCartney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Papaioannou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Papaioannou, A., Adachi, J.D., Winegard, K. et al. Efficacy of home-based exercise for improving quality of life among elderly women with symptomatic osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures. Osteoporos Int 14, 677–682 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-003-1423-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-003-1423-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation