title: The self-selected walking pace test and beta blockade.
abstract: The self-selected walking pace test is a safe, simple and inexpensive test to measure an individual's perception of walking speed and is more strongly related to maximal oxygen uptake than to age. This study was carried out to determine whether beta blockade, which commonly causes fatigue, would affect the test. Twenty-three clinically healthy men with a mean age of 43 years completed the test both on and off 80 mg long-acting oxprenolol daily, a beta blocking drug with partial agonist activity. The men walked 80 m at three self-selected speeds (rather slow, normal and rather fast). There was a significant reduction in heart rate on the drug. The walking speed at the three paces on and off medication were 1.08 ms-1 and 1.07 ms-1 (slow), 1.32 ms-1 and 1.33 ms-1 (normal) and 1.63 ms-1 and 1.61 ms-1 (fast). None of these differences reached statistical significance. The stride length also did not change. It is concluded that beta blocking medication does not interfere with the self-selected walking pace test.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Western Ontario, London.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rechnitzer
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000328:Adult; D005684:Gait / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010096:Oxprenolol / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D010096:Oxprenolol