Assessing the Turning Ability during Walking in People with Stroke Using L Test

Abstract

Background: The L Test of Functional Mobility (L Test) was developed to assess the advanced mobility, which includes both turning and walking ability. This study aimed to evaluate (1) the intra-rater reliability of the L Test in four turning conditions, (2) the correlation with other stroke-specific impairment for community-dwelling older adults with stroke, and (3) the optimal cut-off completion time of the L Test to distinguish the difference of performance between healthy older adults and people with stroke. Methods: This is a cross-sectional design. Thirty older adults with stroke and healthy older adults were included. The subjects were assessed by L Test along with other stroke-specific outcomes. Results: The L Test showed excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.945–0.978) for the four turning conditions. There were significant correlations between L Test completion times and Fugl–Meyer Assessment–Lower Extremity (FMA-LE) scores, Fugl–Meyer Assessment–Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) scores, Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score, and Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test scores. The cut-off of the L Test was established as 23.41–24.13 s. Conclusion: The L Test is an easy-to-administer clinical test for assessing the turning ability of people with stroke.