Delaying hip surgery, skipping exercise put Malaysian seniors at risk of fracture and death

Discover why elderly Malaysians delay crucial hip surgery and how to address long wait times for essential procedures. Read more at straitstimes.com.

KUALA LUMPUR – After more than a decade of severe arthritis and osteoporosis, 72-year-old pensioner Nancy Koh regrets that she delayed having a total hip replacement.

She finally underwent surgery at Kuala Lumpur Hospital in early January, after years of pain left her unable to stand or walk without agony, forcing her to miss out on bonding with her grandchildren.

“I wanted to walk with them to the park and play with them, but instead, I had to sit and watch them grow up,” Madam Koh told The Straits Times, lamenting how she had been robbed of a fulfilling life.

“Now I am able to walk slowly with a crutch, and the pain went away almost overnight.”

Like Madam Koh, many Malaysian seniors delay undergoing hip replacement surgery and neglect mobility exercises, even as ageing-related bone loss and muscle loss and declining mobility put them at high risk of falls, fractures and long-term disability.

The consequences can be severe: Statistics show that one in three people who suffer a hip fracture may die within one year of injury.