Are Joint Contractures in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease Preventable?
Joint contractures impair quality of life and lead to further complications and disability. In severe dementia, many patients are seen in a fetal position. This position causes flexion of the muscles at joints, causing the muscles to undergo shortening, resulting in degenerative tissue changes, and then leading to potential irreversible deformity. The authors discuss the development of joint contractures in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), where it is thought that the natural progression of AD terminates with patients in the fetal position. It has been postulated that this fetal position causes the high incidence of contractures seen in end-stage AD. However, in many situations it is the absence of adequate prevention strategies that produces contractures. (Annals of Long-Term Care: Clinical Care and Aging 2010;18[8]:26-33) Joint contractures are well recognized in the geriatric community as a disabling complication of dementia. They impair quality of life and lead to further complications an
