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Published on: December 16, 2022
Reliability of the 12-step ascend and descend test and its correlation with motor function in people with chronic
Shamay S Ng1, Hannah H Ng, Kimmy M Chan
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (SAR), China. Shamay.Ng@inet.polyu.edu.hk
Objective:
To investigate: (i) the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the 12-step stair test; (ii) its correlation with other stroke-specific impairments; and (iii) the cut-off scores that best discriminate patients with stroke from healthy elderly subjects.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
University-based rehabilitation centre.
Subjects:
Thirty-five subjects with chronic stroke and 29 healthy elderly subjects.
Methods:
The 12-step ascend and descend test was administered along with the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment for the lower extremities (FMA-LE), hand-held dynamometer measurements of hip abductor and knee extensor muscle strength, the Five Times Sit to Stand Test (FTSTST), assessment using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), activities-specific balance confidence scale (ABC) assessment, the 10-metre walk test, and the Timed "Up and Go" (TUG) test.
Results:
The 12-step ascend and descend test showed excellent intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliability. The test was positively correlated with FTSTST times, gait velocity, and TUG times, and negatively correlated with FMA-LE scores and BBS scores. A test performance of 15.22 seconds or less was shown reliably to discriminate healthy elderly subjects from stroke survivors.
Conclusion:
The 12-step ascend and descend test is a reliable clinical test that is inexpensive and easy to implement, and is useful for assessing the stair-walking ability of patients with chronic stroke.
