New research by clinical investigators at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of South Carolina reports on characteristics of people with limited mobility who experienced falls.

An Aug. 19 news announcement from U.S. Rehab said the study — Falls in People with Mobility Limitations: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a U.S. Registry of Assistive Device Users — was published in July by the journal Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology.

Using data from the FMA/UDS registry

Researchers studied more than 11,000 de-identified cases from the Functional Mobility Assessment and Uniform Dataset (FMA/UDS) Registry supported by U.S. Rehab. The cases “were people with mobility impairments seeking an assessment for a new mobility device,” the news announcement said. “Fifty-two percent of the total sample reported at least one fall in the past three months prior to their assessment for a new device. Almost half (47%) who reported a fall were using a walking aid or no device at all.”

Researchers also noted that people with “progressively acquired disabilities — i.e., Parkinson’s disease, osteoarthritis, cardiopulmonary disease — reported higher rates of falls than those with congenital disabilities,” such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

“Fewer falls were also reported in people using custom-fitted manual wheelchairs and powered mobility devices,” the announcement added.

Corey Morrow, Ph.D., OTR/L, assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, was the study’s lead author. The study’s other authors were Richard Schein, Ph.D., MPH, University of Pittsburgh; Gede Pramana, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Christine McDonough, Ph.D., PT, University of Pittsburgh; and Mark Schmeler, Ph.D., OTR/L, ATP, University of Pittsburgh.

More evidence that the right mobility equipment can reduce fall risk

The people with disabilities whose data was used in the study reported 31 different primary diagnoses.

“The findings from this study provide more evidence as to how properly fitted mobility devices matched to a person’s needs can contribute to the reduction of falls,” said Schmeler, who oversees management of the FMA/UDS Registry.

“The findings indicate earlier interventions for fall prevention, including professional wheelchair evaluations, may be warranted,” Morrow said. “However, further research will explore the long-term impact of properly prescribed mobility devices on falls.”

“I thank all members and clinical partners who are contributing to the registry as large data and research is essential to advocate for the field of Complex Rehabilitation Technology,” Tyler Mahncke, U.S. Rehab president said in the announcement.

U.S. Rehab provided funding for the study, with additional funding from the Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network, supported by the National Institutes of Health.