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Physical performance tests for people with long-term spinal pain: aspects of construct validity
Therese Ljungquist1, Irene B Jensen, Ake Nygren
1Neurotec Department, Division of Physiotherapy and Section for Personal Injury Prevention, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Therese.Ljungquist@kirurgi.ki.se
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity of 6 physical performance tests that had already been shown to have acceptable repeatability.
Design:
Data were collected in a randomized controlled multi-centre study.
Subjects:
126 women and 105 men sick-listed for spinal pain carried out the tests and provided personal and background data at inclusion in the study.
Methods:
One test measured stepping up onto and down from a stool, 2 measured lifting ability and 3 walking speed. Construct validity was examined by analysing the influence of some variables on test performance.
Results:
High-rated pain behaviour and perceived high pain intensity during testing or during the previous 4 weeks were connected with low test performance. Exercise twice a week was connected with high test performance. The test with the highest ability to detect disability in the women with lumbar pain was a lumbar lifting test, while for the men, it was a cervical lifting test. The test with the highest ability to detect disability in the participants with neck pain was the cervical lifting test in addition to a gait test with burden for the women.
Conclusion:
Back pain hampered the test performance more than neck pain. Impairments and activity limitations expressed by the patient should guide the choice of test.