Diagnosaurus
Immobility (especially in elderly)
DDx
- Weakness, eg, disuse, anemia, malnutrition, electrolyte abnormality, neurologic disorder, myopathy
- Stiffness, eg, arthritis, parkinsonism, polymyalgia rheumatica
- Bone pain, eg, vertebral fracture, metastases, Paget’s disease
- Joint pain, eg, arthritis, hip fracture
- Bursa or muscle pain, eg, bursitis, polymyalgia rheumatica, claudication, pseudoclaudication (spinal stenosis)
- Foot pain, eg, ingrown nail, plantar warts, bunions, corns
- Imbalance (often multifactorial):
- Neurologic disease, eg, stroke, cervical myelopathy, peripheral neuropathy, vestibular or cerebellar disorder
- Orthostatic or postprandial hypotension
- Drugs, eg, antihypertensives, diuretics, sedatives, neuroleptics, antidepressants
- Anxiety or depression
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Last updated: December 1, 2014
Citation
Zeiger, Roni F.. "Immobility (especially in Elderly)." Diagnosaurus, 4th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/Diagnosaurus/114436/1/Immobility__especially_in_elderly_.
Zeiger RFR. Immobility (especially in elderly). Diagnosaurus. McGraw-Hill Education; 2014. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/Diagnosaurus/114436/1/Immobility__especially_in_elderly_. Accessed October 30, 2025.
Zeiger, R. F. (2014). Immobility (especially in elderly). In Diagnosaurus (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/Diagnosaurus/114436/1/Immobility__especially_in_elderly_
Zeiger RFR. Immobility (especially in Elderly) [Internet]. In: Diagnosaurus. McGraw-Hill Education; 2014. [cited 2025 October 30]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/Diagnosaurus/114436/1/Immobility__especially_in_elderly_.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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