Which condition is commonly associated with mobility impairment in older adults?

• A. Osteoarthritis
• B. Fractures
• C. Gout
• D. Migraine

Answer: (B)

Mobility impairment in older adults is often linked to fractures, especially fragility fractures such as hip fractures. As bone density decreases with age, a minor fall can cause a fracture that makes weight-bearing and moving around severely painful or impossible. This sudden loss of mobility sets off a cascade of risks—deconditioning, muscle wasting, pneumonia, blood clots, skin breakdown, and loss of independence—so restoring mobility becomes a primary goal through pain control, early ambulation, and rehabilitation.

Osteoarthritis can certainly limit movement because of joint pain and stiffness, but it tends to cause a more gradual, chronic restriction rather than the abrupt, acute loss of mobility that fractures produce. Gout causes episodic joint inflammation and pain but is not the typical driver of long-term mobility impairment in the aging population. Migraines aren’t generally associated with mobility impairment in older adults.