Rehabilitation of Older Patients with Orthopedic Diseases

Abstract

The increase in life expectancy has led to the attention of the international scientific community to a number of musculoskeletal disorders related especially to elderly. Most of these disorders are linked to osteoarthritis with the involvement of several joints. The classic symptoms afflicting these patients and limiting their activities of daily life are pain, stiffness, and functional impairment. Therefore, osteoarthritis of the shoulder, knee, hip, and small joints of the hand is among the main causes that lead especially with elderly to medical care. Of growing interest are tendon pathologies, which are closely related to age, gender, and metabolic and hormonal disorders. The treatment is primarily conservative and several strategies could be proposed to reduce pain and improve function of the patients. Surgery should be considered in nonresponders, end-stage osteoarthritis, or full tendon tears. Furthermore, the prevention of falling risk is crucial in elderly population. This chapter will address these musculoskeletal conditions, with a focus on rehabilitative treatment: where, when, and how to administer it in patients suffering from these diseases or that underwent surgery (joint replacement or after hip fractures).