title: Reliability and validity of the sideways step test and its correlation with motor function after stroke.
abstract: [Purpose] This study investigated the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the sideways step test (SST), its correlation with other indicators of stroke-specific impairment, and the cut-off count best discriminating subjects with stroke from their healthy counterparts. [Subjects and Methods] Forty-three subjects with chronic stroke and 41 healthy subjects older than 50 years participated in this study. The SST was administered along with the Fugl-Meyer motor assessment for the lower extremities (FMA-LE), the five-times sit to stand (5TSTS) test, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the movement velocity (MVL) by the limits of stability (LOS) test, the ten-metre walk (10mW) test, the timed "Up and Go" (TUG) test and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale. [Results] The SST showed good to excellent intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliability. The SST counts correlated with 5TSTS times, 10mW times, TUG times, and the FMA-LE and BBS scores. SST counts of 11 for the paretic leg and 14 for the non-paretic leg were found to distinguish the healthy adults from subjects with stroke. [Conclusion] The sideways step test is a reliable clinical test, which correlates with the functional strength, gait speed, and functional balance of people with chronic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Eva Y F
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Performance, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shirley S M
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Mimi M Y
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Eric W C
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shamay Sm
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Billy C L
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: So
keywords: Balance; Rehabilitation; Stroke