Article

OBJECTIVES: To determine (1) the prevalence of lying on the floor or ground for
>/=10 minutes (delayed initial recovery [IR]) and for >1 hour (long lie) after a
fall; and (2) the factors associated with delayed IR among people with multiple
sclerosis (PwMS). DESIGN:
A secondary analysis of data available from a national,
cross-sectional descriptive study of PwMS. Information regarding postfall
experiences was extracted from open-ended questions about participants' most
recent fall. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: PwMS (N=700) aged >/=55 years were
recruited from the North America Committee on Multiple Sclerosis Registry; 354 of
them completed the interview, and 322 provided a fall story that included
information regarding postfall experiences. INTERVENTION:
Not applicable. MAIN
OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants' self-reports regarding time lying on the floor or
ground after their most recent fall were used to determine delayed IR and long
lie. RESULTS: A total of 89 (27.6%) of 322 fallers reported delayed IR; 15 (4.7%)
of them reported a long lie. Logistic regression analysis revealed 5 factors
associated with delayed IR: longer disease duration (odds ratio [OR]=1.03; 95%
confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.05), fall leading to a fracture (OR=2.73; 95%
CI, 1.11-6.72), received help to get up (OR=3.94; 95% CI, 2.07-7.50), depression
(OR=1.96; 95% CI, 1.10-3.49), and leg weakness (OR=2.14; 95% CI, 1.13-4.03). No
significant differences were found between fallers who reported a long lie and
those who reported a delayed IR. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that while
delayed IR is common, long lies are not prevalent among PwMS. The high prevalence
of delayed IR highlights the importance of including fall management strategies
in fall prevention programs for PwMS.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS