Successful rehabilitation after surgical repair of hip fracture has been associated with handgrip strength but not with orthostatic hypotension in patients 65 years of age and above.

Objective: The identification of factors associated with successful rehabilitation after hip fractures enables more successful planning of the rehabilitation process and discharge from the hospital. Orthostatic hypotension (OH) and handgrip strength (HGS) have been evaluated in previous studies as potential predictors of rehabilitation outcomes, with inconsistent results.

Design: A retrospective study of patients 65 years of age and above who underwent rehabilitation after surgical repair of hip fracture in the Geriatric Department between July 2020 and October 2023. HGS was measured during the first three days of hospitalization using a digital dynamometer. OH was measured a week after admission to the ward by the tilt table test. Successful rehabilitation was defined as a Montebello Rehabilitation Factor Score Revised (MRFS-R) above 50%.

Results: Data were collected for 253 patients. The mean age was 80.5 ± 7.7 and 32.4% were males. The mean HGS was 17.2 ± 6.6 kg. OH was diagnosed in 32.8%. 193 patients (76.3%) reached the goal of MRFS-R ≥ 50 at the end of the rehabilitation. In a logistic regression analysis HGS, cognitive state, and sex were associated with successful rehabilitation.

Conclusions: Measuring HGS, but not OH, can predict successful rehabilitation.