Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
Traditional Trail Making Test Modified into Brand-new Assessment Tools: Digital and Walking Trail Making Test
Published on: November 23, 2019
Comparing two conditions of administering the six-minute walk test in people with multiple sclerosis
Brian M Sandroff1, Lara A Pilutti1, Deirdre Dlugonski1
1Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA (BMS, LAP, DD, YCL, RWM); and Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and the Illinois Neurologic Institute, Peoria, IL, USA (JHP).
Objective:
This quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine whether differences existed in the total distance walked and energy expended between two conditions of administering the 6-Minute Walk test (6MW) across different levels of disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Methods:
The sample comprised 160 individuals with MS. One group of participants (n = 82) completed a 6MW while wearing a portable metabolic unit (K4b(2), Cosmed, Italy) in a square hallway with four corridors and performing 90° turns. Another group (n = 78) completed a 6MW while wearing the same metabolic unit in a single corridor and performing 180° turns. Main outcome measures included total distance walked (in feet) and oxygen consumption (in milliliters per minute) expressed as 30-second averages for 1 minute before the 6MW and over the entire 6MW. Disability status was assessed using the Patient-Determined Disease Steps scale.
Results:
Participants undertaking the 6MW in a single corridor (1412 ft) walked 37 ft (2.7%) farther than those undertaking the test in a square hallway (1375 ft), but this difference was not statistically significant (F = 0.45, P = .51). Those completing the 6MW in a single corridor expended more energy than those completing the 6MW in the square hallway with four corridors (F = 3.41, P < .01).
Conclusions:
Either protocol is acceptable, but researchers should be aware of the additional physiological demands when administering the 6MW in a single corridor with 180° turns.
