The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) assembled a multi-stakeholder coalition including representation from the American Physical Therapy Association to develop clinical recommendations for the optimal prevention of secondary fracture among people aged 65 years and older with a hip or vertebral fracture. Review of this document describes essential strategies requiring collaboration within care management teams addressing education, communication and interventions. “Emphasizing the connection between fracture and osteoporosis elevates the fracture from an unfortunate accident to a sentinel event indicative of an important underlying chronic disorder.” There is frequent failure to investigate the diagnosis of osteoporosis and provide the long-term integrated care that this chronic condition requires. Following the first fracture it is imperative to initiate immediate interventions to increase the number of patients receiving appropriate osteoporosis treatment. Physical therapists have a long history of successful intervention for acute osteoporotic fractures, but often do not continue care for lifelong management of these patients. Additionally, the medical management across specialties is frequently inconsistent. Given the treatment gap for comprehensive management of this condition, there are predictable complications which will have lifelong impact on function and quality of life. Therefore, physical therapists must actively embrace this call to action. We are vital members of the multidisciplinary team, and with aggressive evidence based approach to encompass the full scope of therapy interventions throughout the lives of these patients, we can fully support the overall strategies presented by the coalition.

Review the full article: Conley RB, Adib G, et al. (2020). “Secondary Fracture Prevention: Consensus Clinical Recommendations from a Multistakeholder Coalition.” J Bone Miner Res 35(1): 36-52. PMID: 31538675 DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.3877