Article

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.

Langue : ANGLAIS