The nurse caring for a 73-year-old female client who has been hospital

The nurse caring for a 73-year-old female client who has been hospitalized with a stroke instructs the client’s daughter to continue to do passive range-of-motion exercises with her mother on her affected side to prevent contractures.

The nurse explains to the daughter that this is very important in an immobile older adult client because contractures can form in as little as:
1. 8 hours
2. 24 hours
3. 1 week
4. 1 month

ANSWER

ANS: 1
Disuse, atrophy, and shortening of the muscle fibers cause joint contractures. When a contracture occurs, the joint cannot obtain full ROM. Contractures sometimes leave a joint or joints in a non-functional position, as seen in clients who are permanently curled in a fetal position. Early pre-vention of contractures is key; they can begin to form after only 8 hours of immobility in the old-er adult client.