The timed up & go test: Its reliability and association with lower-limb impairments and locomotor capacities in people with chronic stroke

Abstract

Objectives: To examine test-retest reliability of the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test, its ability to differentiate subjects with chronic stroke from healthy elderly subjects, and its associations with ankle plantarflexor spasticity, ankle muscle strength, gait performance, and distance walked in 6 minutes in subjects with chronic stroke. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: University-based rehabilitation center in Hong Kong, China. Participants: Ten healthy elderly subjects and 11 subjects with chronic stroke. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Time taken to complete the TUG test was recorded. Plantarflexor spasticity and ankle muscle strength were assessed, respectively, by the Composite Spasticity Scale and a load-cell together with electromyography. Gait parameters and walking endurance were measured respectively by walkway system (GAITRite II) and 6-minute walk test. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated as measures of reliability, and all correlation analyses were conducted using Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: The TUG test showed excellent reliability (ICC>.95). Subjects with chronic stroke had significantly more spastic and weaker plantarflexors, slower walking speeds, and poorer walking endurance when compared with healthy elderly subjects (all P