Orthogeriatrics is Orthopaedic Care for the Elderly
With the rising number of elderly individuals there is an increasing incidence of orthopaedic concerns.
There are 2 main arms of concerns :
1) Joint degeneration which occurs with age. It can involve any joint but the knees in particular may be of significant concern due to knee osteoarthritis.
2) Osteoporosis and the rising incidence of fragility fractures. The rising incidence of hip fractures in the elderly is an example.
Joint Degeneration issues are mostly non – urgent and are chronic in nature.
Fragililty fractures that occur after a trivial injury are acute and will require immediate medical attention
The Management Principles remain the same however there is a paradigm shift in the approach to Management particularly for acute management after a fracture.
The concept of co-management allows all relevant specialist (for example a Geriatrician) and allied health to deliver care in synergy.
This is an important aspect because besides the fracture, many elderly individuals have other associated medical concerns that need specialized attention concurrently.
This enables early optimization, faster rehabilitation and less complications. This approach has been scientifically proven to provide superior outcomes in many centers in the world through an Integrated Model of Care including Singapore.
The goal of the multidisciplinary approach is to restore function and mobility