Abstract
We initiated physical therapy for a female patient with Alzheimer’s disease who suffered a left trochanteric fracture that caused a short and unstable left stance phase in gait. Initially, we performed muscle stretching and strengthening, and weight-bearing exercises in the sitting and standing positions, but the patient could not follow the therapy and did not achieve the target strength because of attention deficit due to Alzheimer’s disease. However, the patient was capable of independent activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing and grooming. Therefore, we initiated an exercise therapy which involved putting on and taking off a sock. After the therapy was started, the strength of the patient’s left gluteus maximus and external and internal oblique muscles improved and the instability in her gait stance decreased. This experience shows the necessity of selecting a therapy focused not only on the impairments but also on the patient’s abilities to perform ADL.
