title: Performance of the timed "up & go" test in spinal muscular atrophy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The timed "up & go" (TUG) test is a quick measure of balance and mobility. TUG scores correlate with clinical, functional, and strength assessment and decline linearly over time. Reliability and validity have not been tested in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen ambulatory SMA participants performed TUG testing and strength, functional, and clinical assessments. Intraclass correlation coefficients quantified test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was determined using Pearson correlation coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Test-retest reliability was excellent for all participants. TUG was associated significantly with total leg and knee flexor strength, as well as the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded, the 10-meter walk/run, and 6-minute walk tests. TUG findings were not associated with knee extensor strength, pulmonary function, or fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In SMA, the TUG test is easily administered, reliable, and correlates with established outcome measures. TUG testing is a potentially useful outcome measure for clinical trials and a measure of disability in ambulatory patients with SMA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, 180 Fort Washington Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dunaway
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montes
authors.forename: Carol Ewing
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Garber
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Samantha S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: Shirit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamil-Rosenberg
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sproule
authors.forename: Darryl C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: De Vivo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000502:physiology; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer; D009134:Muscular Atrophy, Spinal / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: clinical trials; functional mobility; outcome measure; spinal muscular atrophy; timed “up & go” test