Abstract
Study design:
Cross-sectional design.
Objectives:
To evaluate the concurrent validity of the 10-meter walk test (10MWT) as compared with the 6-minute walk test (6MinWT) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) at various levels of walking ability, as determined using the criteria from the functional independence measure locomotor (FIM-L) scores.
Setting:
A major tertiary referral hospital in Thailand.
Methods:
Ninety-four independent ambulatory subjects with SCI (FIM-L scores 5–7) were assessed for their functional abilities using the 10MWT and 6MinWT.
Results:
The data of the 10MWT and the 6MinWT had excellent correlation in subjects with FIM-L 7 (r=0.83, P<0.001), good correlation in subjects with FIM-L 6 (r=0.74, P<0.001), but poor correlation in subjects with FIM-L 5 (r=0.31, P>0.05).
Conclusion:
The 6MinWT is a thorough assessment to reflect functional endurance, but it requires a long time and a large area to administer. The findings confirm the utility of the 10MWT as an alternative monitoring tool to the 6MinWT, but only for the patients with rather good walking ability.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by funding from the Improvement of Physical Performance and Quality of Life (IPQ) research group, and Khon Kaen University. The researchers sincerely thank Mr Ian Thomas for his contribution in preparing the manuscript.
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Amatachaya, S., Naewla, S., Srisim, K. et al. Concurrent validity of the 10-meter walk test as compared with the 6-minute walk test in patients with spinal cord injury at various levels of ability. Spinal Cord 52, 333–336 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2013.171
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2013.171
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