Relations between 6 minute walking distance and 10 meter walking speed in patients with multiple sclerosis and stroke

Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2012 Jul;93(7):1167-72. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2012.02.026. Epub 2012 Mar 12.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between a short walking test and a long walking test in patients with walking disability due to multiple sclerosis (MS) or stroke.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Setting: University hospital and sport science department.

Participants: Patients with MS (n=38), patients with stroke (n=48), and healthy subjects (n=46). Patients were participants in other clinical trials.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measure: Walking speed in a 10m walk test and a 6 minute walk test was compared.

Results: Despite differences in absolute walking speed between long and short tests, strong correlations were found between both the tests in patients with MS (r=.95) and in patients with stroke (r=.94), whereas a more moderate correlation was found in healthy controls (r=.69-.70).

Conclusions: Our findings show that walking speeds of a short walking test and a long walking test are strongly correlated in both patients with MS and patients with stroke, whereas correlations in healthy subjects are weaker.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00381576.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acceleration*
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Disability Evaluation*
  • Exercise Test / methods*
  • Exercise Tolerance
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Sclerosis / diagnosis*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / rehabilitation
  • Physical Endurance
  • Reference Values
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Stroke / diagnosis*
  • Stroke Rehabilitation
  • Time Factors
  • Walking / physiology*

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00381576