Connect
Has anyone even heard of hip protectors for hip osteoporosis?
With a recent diagnosis of severe hip/femur osteoporosis I made a joke about just wrapping myself up in a yoga mat with duct tape. Then I wondered if anyone had invented external hip protection something. GPT said indeed yes and sent me links - these things are actually really well researched, there are plenty of studies and they're are used a lot in nursing homes. Advised by ortho docs if you think to ask them. The wild thing is that their independently studied rate of hip fracture prevention is 55% - 85% in the nursing facilities (not so much at home but that's because people aren't wearing them when they fall, doh.). That beats the meds. Obviously they don't prevent continuing bone deterioration, but if like me you're now scared to death of falling' it seems like a great idea. Some people just wear them all the time. I sprung for one - the Hipsafe Belt ranks high in an an independent test and looks most convenient. Too expensive and I'm pretty poor, but worth it at this point just for ease of mind. No idea if this will appeal to anyone else in here but thought I'd put it out there for the hip-vulnerable. (Not like posture braces which inhibit muscle use - just pads).
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.
Connect
Thank you so much for posting this excellent question and information.
MelioGuide, Margaret Martin's website, is the only place I have come across an in-depth discussion about hip protectors, and I am surprised there isn't more discussion about them on other osteoporosis sites -- at least the ones I follow (I know there are many out there, so I might have missed it).
Here is a link to the MelioGuide website where Ms. Martin presents her analysis: https://melioguide.com/osteoporosis-exercise-equipment/hip-protectors/
Thank you again for raising this topic on the Osteoporosis and Bone Health group site!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsI'll receive it tomorrow and will post my impression! Thanks for the link, will check it out. Seems especially relevant because hip fracture with osteoporosis is pretty much always from a fall or a blow, unlike spine fractures.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions@beccac Oh, I saw that site and was very tempted to purchase he suggested product even though with the pads added on it really is very expensive. Then I found a highly regarded independent rating system for hip protectors (it's a Canadian organization, will relocate it if anyone wants to see it). The New Zealand company says that it used the same testing method and uses the acronym (I forget it), but they didn't actually subject themselves to that independent test and study. Not many independent reviews out there, either. They might be terrific but I got a list of the highest ranking ones on the official test ranking and chose one of those. Cheaper, too. I picked Safehip (not Hipsafe, pardon the typo) but there are several that look good. I'll also dig those up if anyone requests.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsThis is an excellent paper discussing hip protection products and analysis of force attenuation from impact on the various pads evaluated by The University of Cardiff in Wales. Other important points about hip protector design are discussed. Pad type, pad positioning being very important ones.
Osteoporosis International Journal (Osteoporosis-International-Journal.pdf)
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@chazza I'd seen that and then read something somewhere questioning it (also look to the bottom of that study and you see an honest ethics comment:
"Conflicts of interest Sam Evans was a consultant to the Ascent Group on hip protector design and testing and Dow Corning on impact protection materials and testing. Both Sam Evans and Bethany Keenan are
consultants for Delloch and SpineC".) But I absolutely have no idea where that not-really independent study sits re reliable ranking and no solid reason to think that Delloch isn't as good as they say it is. The study really does yield a lot of info about how the pads work in general. A dense read lol. With the pads and shipping I just couldn't afford Delloch anyway, which this study heavily promotes, and a quick search found very reviews, so I didn't dig too deep. Thanks for posting it!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionGot the hip protector today, I really do find it very comfortable and easy to wear over loose clothes. Doesn't do much for the figure, I'd say it's tunic- wear or I-don't-give-a-crap wear. But nothing really noticeable in a big way. When I finally see my ortho person in Feb I'll ask her if the positioning is right because that's really important and if not will get another size/model. I'm figuring on wearing it all the time and am a less nervous about upcoming long Christmas visit with kids and grandkids and dogs that jump on you and jostly events and outings and all. And trying not to think of my hips as made of stacks of Pringles. :). I decided on SAFEHIP AirX Women’s Hip Protector - they also have a belt. Don't want to be washing it every day so will wear undies and a Poise or something under it. The belt avoids that issue. But research and decide on brand, there are a lot out there. Happy Thanksgiving all!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionSome independent studies showing that when hip protectors were actually worn at the time of a fall, hip fracture risk was reduced by about two-thirds in one study and about half in another.
Korall AM et al. Effectiveness of Hip Protectors to Reduce Risk for Hip Fracture from Falls in Long-Term Care (RR ≈ 0.36, ~64% reduction when worn)
Yang Y et al. The Effect of Fall Biomechanics on Risk for Hip Fracture in Older Adults (RR ≈ 0.45, ~55% reduction when worn) I'm new and they don't let me post links yet but easy to google.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@beccac (Under loose clothes I meant)