4 January 2008 SAFEHIP PROTECTS AGAINST HIP FRACTURES (trade press)

Renewed self confidence for seniors

2 million people sustain a hip fracture worldwide every year as a result of a fall. The risk of hip fractures increases by 30% as one gets older. Those over 70 years old fall on average once per year; often with far-reaching consequences, not only on a physical level but also mental level.

The SafeHip hip protector introduced by Ortho-Medico is both simple and ingenious and delivers an essential contribution to the prevention of hip fractures.


Hip fractures … a daily reality!

Today’s seniors are often still very active in household and leisure activities. However, even they are at increased risk due to several potential factors. For example, think of balance disturbances, reduced strength and/or flexibility, recurring dizziness, taking particular medication and reduced immunity during menopause. And we have not even mentioned osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders yet.

People who fall and sustain a broken hip are often confronted with heavy physical pain in first instance and lengthy revalidation. Furthermore, the serious physical limitation with which the patient is confronted after the fall and the fear of falling again, often also leads to increased isolation. This often also has disastrous consequences for physical and mental health.

Firstly, effective prevention can save elderly people and their family a lot of grief, and secondly, also lead to an important financial saving for both the patient and health insurer.


Clinically tested and approved!

With SafeHip, produced by manufacturer Tytex, Ortho-Medico provides extremely effective protection against hip fractures. The idea behind the development was actually quite simple: sound underpants with an open area on both sides in which a protective shell has been placed. SafeHip is available with hard and soft, stitched-in or removable shells. They cannot prevent a fall of course, but can soften the impact and therefore prevent a hip fracture. The soft padding has a horseshoe shape that not only provides greater comfort, but also absorbs the shock of the fall better. Furthermore, the material ensures better elimination of perspiration.

A report appeared in the renowned professional journal Osteoporosis Int. in July 2007 with a comparative study between the Safe Hip with soft and hard shells. This study was a cluster randomised study, took place over 18 months and was analysed in 18 rest homes in Norway (1236 patients). The most important result we can report is that with release of the Safe Hip with soft shells, most patients prefer this version. Furthermore, more people wore the Safe Hip for 24 hours.

SafeHip has been clinically tested with more than 6000 people. In the meantime, international clinical studies in rest homes and with seniors at home have shown that SafeHip reduces the number of hip fractures by at least 75%!

The SafeHip range consists of designs customised to various needs. The SafeHip Classic is especially used in hospitals and care institutions, while home users prefer SafeHip Plus, which are also available with a removable shell. The SafeHip Open is available for people with incontinence. A somewhat different design is the SafeHip Active, a hip protection belt that active seniors fix around their loins on top of their underpants for temporary protection during increased risk of falling.