title: Long-term home exercise program: effect in women at high risk of fracture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether a better outcome in terms of physical frailty could be achieved with a regular home exercise program in women at high risk of fracture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective long-term observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatient clinic of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with a history of postmenopausal fractures and an age-adjusted low bone mass, as determined 7 to 12 years earlier.
  
  
  METHODS
  Home exercise program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-three women were followed. The exercise group and control group were compared with regard to fracture rates, episodes of falling, neuromuscular performance (one-leg stance, chair rise, body sway, tandem walk, tapping test), and bone mineral density (BMD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five women with a mean age of 73.8+/-5.7 yrs appeared for the investigation. An exercise program had been prescribed in 19 women, and six served as controls. Seven women of the exercise group (36.8%) regularly performed the exercises. No differences between participants of the groups in terms of fracture rates, falling episodes, neuromuscular performance, and BMD were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It appears that a home exercise program does not affect the outcome of postmenopausal women at high risk of fracture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kerschan-Shindl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uher
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kainberger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaider
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Ghanem
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Preisinger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome