Article

OBJECTIVES: To investigate (1) the intrarater, interrater, and test-retest
reliability of the times and scores generated in the parallel walk test (PWT);
(2) their correlations with impairments and activity limitations of individuals
with stroke; and (3) the cutoff times that best discriminate individuals with
stroke from healthy elderly subjects. DESIGN: Cross sectional study. SETTING:
University-based rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=72)
comprised individuals with stroke (n=37) and healthy individuals (n=35).
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The PWT was administered
along with the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment of the Lower Extremities (FMA-LE),
handheld dynamometer measurements of ankle dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscle
strength, the 5-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), a limits
of stability (LOS) test, the 10-m walk test (10-MWT), and the timed Up and Go
(TUG) test. RESULTS: PWT times and scores showed good to excellent intrarater,
interrater, and test-retest reliability in individuals with stroke. PWT times
using paths of 3 different widths significantly correlated with FMA-LE scores,
5-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test times, BBS scores, some LOS test results, 10-MWT gait
speed, and TUG test times. PWT times of 6.30 to 7.48 seconds, depending on the
path width, were shown reliably to discriminate individuals with stroke from
healthy individuals. CONCLUSION: The PWT is a reliable, easy-to-administer
clinical tool for assessing dynamic walking balance in individuals with chronic
stroke.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS