Investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are expanding an ongoing study of the effects of combining exercise training with hormone therapy to improve physical function and quality of life in men 65 years of age and older.
The study began as an intervention focused on men with hip fractures, but the researchers now are including older men who have lost strength for other reasons — lack of exercise, joint replacement surgery, back surgery or immobilization — causing difficulty or slowness with daily activities. The study will determine if these problems can be reversed with exercise and daily testosterone treatments.
“The program is investigating a combination approach to improve muscle strength, increase bone density and make the men generally less frail,” says Ellen F. Binder, M.D., the study’s principal investigator and an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science. “The men in our study will be part of a supervised exercise program three times a week and will receive medication to be applied to the skin daily for six months.”
Participants will be asked for a brief medical history over the phone and then scheduled for screening visits. If they choose to participate, they will come to the medical center for scheduled exercise sessions three times weekly and for monthly medical assessments. All participants will receive free medical evaluations, bone-density testing and dietary consultation. If needed, complimentary transportation to and from study visits and exercise sessions can be provided.
For more information or to volunteer, call study coordinators Bridget Blaes or Linda Walters at (314) 286-2716.
Washington University School of Medicine’s full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.