Advisory Committee Chair
William K Osgard
Advisory Committee Members
Cecilia Graham
Jennifer Braswell
James Stannard
Richard Drew Davis
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2007
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy (DScPT) School of Health Professions
Abstract
Study Type: Cohort, between and within group comparison Objective: To determine the efficacy of the 15-second lateral step-up (15-SLSU) test for comparing hip function between patients treated with two different intramedullary nailing (IMN) approaches for femur fractures. In addition, to determine whether the 15-SLSU detects differences in hip function between the surgical and non-surgical limb of subjects treated with IMN. Background: Historically, two surgical approaches have been used for IMN of femur fractures. Determining tests that can detect whether various surgical approaches result in differences in hip function is important for making decisions about treatment. Methods and Measures: Subjects were recruited from an on going prospective randomized study based on the surgical approach, piriformis or trochanteric. Each subject completed the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index iii (WOMAC) and were rated on the Injury Severity Score (ISS). At a follow-up greater than one year post-operatively, subjects performed the 15-SLSU. Results: When comparing scores on the 15-SLSU between the groups, no significant difference was found. One significant finding was a 3.39 repetition [t(27)=5.193, p<0.01] difference in the 15-SLSU mean scores between the injured and uninjured side when scores from the two groups were pooled together. No difference was found between the two groups on the WOMAC and ISS. Conclusion: With this sample size, the 15-SLSU did not detect differences between the two approaches. The 15-SLSU did demonstrate differences between the surgical and non-surgical sides for all the subjects in this study. Since differences were shown between the sides and the 15-SLSU is easy to perform, the 15-SLSU may be a useful outcome measure to include when assessing function following IMN of femur fractures.
Recommended Citation
Futch, Lydia A., "Use Of The 15-Second Lateral Step-Up For Comparison Of Hip Function Between Two Surgical Approaches For Intramedullary Nailing Of Femur Fractures" (2007). All ETDs from UAB. 3700.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3700