Rehabilitation Program Effect on Functional Status among Osteoporotic Patients

Background: Osteoporosis is a chronic condition characterized by reduced bone mass and increasing the risk of fractures. Improving functional status through rehabilitation programs is essential to enhance quality of life and minimize disabilities among osteoporotic patients. Aim: evaluate rehabilitation program effects on functional status among osteoporotic patients. Design: A quasi-experimental research design was utilized to fulfill purpose of the study. Subjects: A purposive sample included (60) adult patients classified equally into two equal groups study and control group (n = 30). Setting: The research was conducted in Minia University Hospital's Orthopedic and Rheumatology Rehabilitation Department at Minia Governorate, Egypt. Tools: Three tools were utilized: Tool I Structured Interviewing Questionnaire that included three parts (demographic characteristics, medical data and anthropometric measurement). Tool II Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT). Tool III Physical Activity Assessment Tools included three main sections (Physical Functional Scale, Muscle Strength Scale and Berg Balance Sale). Results: Findings revealed that 96.7% of the study group who received the educational program had a satisfactory level of knowledge about osteoporosis at posttest (after 8 weeks) versus 16.7% before. Additionally, there was a marked elevation in the mean score of muscle for the study group post-application of the rehabilitation program: 40.3 ± 4.82 and 48.9 ± 3.98 after 4 weeks and 8 weeks, respectively, versus the control group, 22.8 ± 4.37 and 27.6 ± 5.44, with a highly statistically significant difference between both groups (P value 0.001**).Conclusion: The study findings concluded that the application of the rehabilitation program was effective in improving the functional status among the study group compared to the control group. Recommendations: Regular Replication of this study on a larger probability sample is highly recommended.