Parametric Study of Hip Fracture Risk Using QCT-Based Finite Element Analysis

Various parameters such as age, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) influence the hip fracture risk in the elderly which is the most common injury during the sideways fall. This paper presents a parametric study of hip fracture risk based on the gender, age, height, weight, and BMI of subjects using the subject-specific QCT-based finite element modelling and simulation of single-leg stance and sideways fall loadings. Hip fracture risk is estimated using the strain energy failure criterion as a combination of bone stresses and strains leading to more accurate and reasonable results based on the bone failure mechanism. Understanding the effects of various parameters on hip fracture risk can help to prescribe more accurate preventive and treatment plans for a community based on the gender, age, height, weight, and BMI of the population. Results of this study show an increase in hip fracture risk with the increase of age, body height, weight, and BMI in both women and men under the single-leg stance and the sideways fall configurations.