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Updated: Feb 21, 2026
Measurements of Motor Function and Other Clinical Outcome Parameters in Ambulant Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Published on: January 12, 2019
How often should sitting and rising from a chair be evaluated in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy?
Michele Emy Hukuda1, Fátima Aparecida Caromano1, Renata Escorcio1
1Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Laboratório de Fisioterapia e Comportamento, São Paulo SP, Brasil.
Insights
For Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients, reassessing chair sitting and rising every six months or longer is recommended. This frequency optimizes data collection, avoiding both redundant and missing information for better clinical insights.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive genetic disorder affecting muscle strength.
- Regular functional assessments are crucial for monitoring disease progression and treatment efficacy in DMD patients.
- The optimal frequency for assessing functional mobility, such as sitting/rising from a chair, remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the ideal reassessment interval for the sitting/rising from a chair function in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
- To optimize data collection frequency, preventing redundant or missed clinical information.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-six children with DMD (ages 5-12) were assessed over 12 months.
- The Functional Evaluation Scale (sitting/rising domain) was used at three-month intervals.
- Responsiveness analysis using effect sizes (ES) and standardized response means (SRM) compared assessment intervals.
Main Results:
- Sit-to-stand function showed increasing responsiveness with longer intervals (moderate-to-high at 6 months, high at 9-12 months).
- Stand-to-sit function demonstrated moderate responsiveness at 6-month intervals and high responsiveness at 9-12 months.
- Three-month intervals yielded low-to-moderate responsiveness for both sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit movements.
Conclusions:
- Reassessing the sitting/rising from a chair function in DMD patients every six months or longer is indicated.
- Longer intervals provide more responsive data for tracking functional changes in DMD.
- This finding aids in refining clinical monitoring protocols for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Objective:
To determine how often sitting/rising from a chair should be assessed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients to avoid redundant/missing data.
Methods:
Sitting/rising from a chair was evaluated in 26 DMD children (5-12 yrs), in three-month intervals, over twelve months, with the Functional Evaluation Scale (domain sitting/rising from a chair). Scores were compared by effect sizes (ES) and standardized response means (SRM) (responsiveness analysis).
Results:
Sit-to-stand showed low-to-moderate responsiveness in three-month intervals (ES:0.23-0.32; SRM:0.36-0.68), moderate-to-high responsiveness in six-month intervals (ES:0.52-0.65; SRM:0.76-1.28), high responsiveness at nine-month (ES:0.84-0.91; SRM:1.26-1.64) and twelve-month intervals (ES:1.27; SRM:1.48). Stand-to-sit showed low responsiveness in three-month intervals (ES:0.26-0.49; SRM:0.37-0.42), moderate responsiveness in six-month intervals (ES:0.50-0.78; SRM:0.56-0.71), high responsiveness in nine-month (ES:0.94-1.00; SRM:0.84-1.02) and twelve-month intervals (ES:1.13; SRM:1.52).
Conclusion:
Six months or longer intervals for reassessment are indicated to evaluate sitting/standing from a chair in DMD patients.
