Findings from a study that measured where different brands of hip protectors fall on a user's hip have pitted one competitor against another, with each struggling to earn a greater share of a growing market to prevent one of the most deadly accidents that occur in the elderly.A number of companies -- including Naperville, Illinois-based FallGard and Canton, Massachusetts-based HipSaver -- manufacture hip protectors, which contain protective shells within something akin to an undergarment, worn under regular clothing. Both HipSaver and FallGard cost less than $100 each.To protect the hip during falls, the protective shell of these devices must cover the greater trochanter of the femur. In the February issue of Age and Ageing, researchers used ultrasound to measure where various hip protectors fall on a user's hip, and found that some products -- including FallGard, currently in use by thousands of people -- miss their mark.One of the...
Age and Agingresearch has suggestedstudyJournal of the American Medical Directors AssociationfracturesThe ScientistAge and AgeingpaperClinical Orthopaedics and Related ResearchPekka KannusAge and AgeingThe ScientistAge and AgeingThe ScientistThe Scientistmail@the-scientist.com http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/adulthipfx.htmhttp://www.fallgard.comhttp://www.hipsaver.comCochrane Database Syst Revhttp://www.the-scientist.com/pubmed/16034859Journal of the American Medical Directors Association http://www.jamda.com/article/PIIS1525861004703679/abstractThe Scientist'http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/24837Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Researchhttp://www.corronline.com/pt/re/corr/abstract.00003086-200205000-00023.htm;jsessionid=GbGZJdC1qDybcgx2G3brBcdlGvbJ2y3l3Hgy7rykZJsM0khQ2yJd!-680354521!-949856145!8091!-1?index=1&database=ppvovft&results=1&count=10&searchid=1&nav=searchNew England Journal of Medicinehttp://www.the-scientist.com/pubmed/11087879
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