Reliability of gait performance tests in men and women with hemiparesis after stroke.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the reliability of 6 gait performance tests in individuals with chronic mild to moderate post-stroke hemiparesis.


METHODS
An intra-rater (between occasions) test-retest reliability study.


METHODS
Fifty men and women (mean age 58+/-6.4 years) 6-46 months post-stroke.


METHODS
The Timed "Up & Go" test, the Comfortable and the Fast Gait Speed tests, the Stair Climbing ascend and descend tests and the 6-Minute Walk test were assessed 7 days apart. Reliability was evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC(2,1)), the Bland & Altman analysis, the standard error of measurement (SEM and SEM%) and the smallest real difference (SRD and SRD%).


RESULTS
Test-retest agreements were high (ICC(2,1) 0.94-0.99) with no discernible systematic differences between the tests. The standard error of measurement (SEM%), representing the smallest change that indicates a real (clinical) improvement for a group of individuals, was small (< 9%). The smallest real difference (SRD%), representing the smallest change that indicates a real (clinical) improvement for a single individual, was also small (13-23%).


CONCLUSIONS
These commonly used gait performance tests are highly reliable and can be recommended to evaluate improvements in various aspects of gait performance in individuals with chronic mild to moderate hemiparesis after stroke.
Flansbjer
Ulla-Britt
UB
Department of Rehabilitation, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. ulla-britt Flansbjer@skane.se
Holmbäck
Anna Maria
AM
Downham
David
D
Patten
Carolynn
C
Lexell
Jan
J
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D020127:Recovery of Function; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016138:Walking