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Updated: Nov 6, 2025
The Ladder Rung Walking Task: A Scoring System and its Practical Application.
Published on: June 12, 2009
Distance-limited walk tests post-stroke: A systematic review of measurement properties
Darren Kai-Young Cheng1,2, Matthieu Dagenais2, Kyla Alsbury-Nealy1,2
1Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto, Canada.
Background:
Improving walking capacity is a key objective of post-stroke rehabilitation. Evidence describing the quality and protocols of standardized tools for assessing walking capacity can facilitate their implementation.
Objective:
To synthesize existing literature describing test protocols and measurement properties of distance-limited walk tests in people post-stroke.
Methods:
Electronic database searches were completed in 2017. Records were screened and appraised for quality.
Results:
Data were extracted from 43 eligible articles. Among the 12 walk tests identified, the 10-metre walk test (10mWT) at a comfortable pace was most commonly evaluated. Sixty-three unique protocols at comfortable and fast paces were identified. Walking pace and walkway surface, but not walkway length, influenced walking speed. Intraclass correlation coefficients for test-retest reliability ranged from 0.80-0.99 across walk tests. Measurement error values ranged from 0.04-0.40 and 0.06 to 0.20 for the 10mWT at comfortable and fast and paces, respectively. Across walk tests, performance was most frequently correlated with measures of strength, balance, and physical activity (r = 0.26-0.8, p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
The 10mWT has the most evidence of reliability and validity. Findings indicate that studies that include people with severe walking deficits, in acute and subacute phases of recovery, with improved quality of reporting, are needed.
