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Published on: June 12, 2009
The 2-minute walk test as a measure of functional improvement in persons with lower limb amputation
D Brooks1, J Parsons, J P Hunter
1Clinical Evaluation and Research Unit, West Park Healthcare Centre, Toronto, Ont, Canada. dina.brooks@utoronto.ca
Objective:
To determine the construct validity and responsiveness of the 2-minute walk test as a measure of function in individuals with lower extremity amputation.
Design:
The distances walked in 2 minutes were compared with the results on the physical functioning subscale of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) and the Houghton Scale.
Setting:
Regional amputee rehabilitation program.
Patients:
Retrospective data from 290 patients (mean age, 66yr) with unilateral transtibial, unilateral transfemoral, or bilateral amputations.
Intervention:
Repeated testing.
Main Outcome Measures:
Distance walked in 2 minutes, SF-36 (aggregated into physical and mental composite scores), and the Houghton score. We also examined the change in the distance before and after a rehabilitation program.
Results:
The distance walked in 2 minutes showed a weak correlation with the physical functioning subscale of the SF-36 (r = .22, p = .008) and a moderate correlation with the total Houghton score at discharge from rehabilitation (r = .493, p
Conclusion:
The 2-minute walk test was responsive to change with rehabilitation in persons with lower extremity amputation. In addition, the 2-minute walk test showed adequate correlation with measures of physical functioning and prosthetic use in this population.
