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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Talking the talk on walking the walk: a 12-item generic walking scale suitable for neurological conditions?

BACKGROUND: The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12) was developed to measure the impact of multiple sclerosis on walking. Many other disabling neurological conditions affect patients' ability to walk, and a generic measure of walking could provide valuable insights into patients' perceptions in clinical trials and epidemiological studies as well as routine clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical usefulness and psychometric properties of the Walking Impact Scale (Walk-12), a modified version of the MSWS-12, in patients with neurological conditions. DESIGN: A prospective, observational study of 120 consecutive patients admitted for rehabilitation. The Walk-12 was used to measure the impact of neurological disability on walking. Traditional psychometric methods (data quality, scaling assumptions, targeting, reliability, validity and responsiveness) were used to assess the Walk-12. Transition questions were used on discharge to measure perception of change. Outcome was also measured using the timed walk test (TWT), Barthel Index (BI) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). RESULTS: For the total group, missing data were few, scaling assumptions were satisfied, and internal consistency was 0.94. Correlations between the Walk-12 and TWT, BI and FIM motor score were moderate (r=-0.58, -0.26, -0.31). Responsiveness of the Walk-12 was high (effect size=1.12). Relationships between effect size and patients' and physiotherapists' opinion of change in walking demonstrated good concordance. Preliminary subgroup analyses indicate satisfactory psychometric properties across different neurological conditions; however, sample numbers in these analyses are small. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of neurologically disabled patients the Walk-12 was clinically useful and satisfied standard psychometric criteria. This provides preliminary evidence that it may be suitable as a generic measure of walking ability.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Measurement of walking endurance and walking velocity with questionnaire: validation of the walking impairment questionnaire in men and women with peripheral arterial disease.

OBJECTIVES: The Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ) was designed to measure community walking ability in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication. We compared the WIQ scores to objective measures of walking in a heterogeneous group of patients with and without PAD. METHODS: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study, with the setting in an academic medical center. The subjects were patients with PAD (n = 145) who were identified from a noninvasive vascular laboratory at an academic medical center. The patients without PAD (n = 65) were identified from a general medicine practice. The average number of comorbidities was 2.03 for patients with PAD and 1.52 for patients without PAD. Among the patients with PAD, 28% had classical intermittent claudication symptoms and 55% had exertional leg symptoms other than claudication. The main outcome measures were the WIQ estimates of the patient-reported walking distance and walking speed on a scale of 0 to 100. Walking endurance was measured objectively with the 6-minute walk. Walking velocity was measured with a 4-m walk. PAD and PAD severity were defined with the ankle brachial index. RESULTS: The Spearman rank correlation coefficients (rho) between the WIQ distance score and the 6-minute walk score were 0.557 among patients with PAD (P <.001) and 0.484 among patients without PAD (P <.001). The correlation coefficients between the WIQ speed score and the usual-paced 4-m walk score were 0.528 among patients with PAD (P <.001) and 0.524 among patients without PAD (P <.001). The correlations were not affected by the presence versus the absence of intermittent claudication, by PAD severity, or by the presence of 2 or more versus less than 2 comorbid illnesses. The WIQ scores in the highest and lowest quartiles were the most closely associated with the objective measures of function. CONCLUSION: The WIQ is a valid measure of community walking ability in a heterogeneous group of patients with and without PAD. The WIQ discriminates best among patients in the highest and the lowest quartiles of walking speed and endurance.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Who walks? Factors associated with walking behavior in disabled older women with and without self-reported walking difficulty.

OBJECTIVES: To determine how severity of walking difficulty and sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health-related factors influence walking behavior in disabled older women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from the Women's Health and Aging Study (WHAS). SETTING: An urban community encompassing 12 contiguous zip code areas in the eastern portion of Baltimore City and part of Baltimore County, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 920 moderately to severely disabled community-resident women, aged 65 years and older, identified from an age-stratified random sample of Medicare beneficiaries. MEASUREMENTS: Walking behavior was defined as minutes walked for exercise and total blocks walked per week. Independent variables included self-reported walking difficulty, sociodemographic factors, psychological status (depression, mastery, anxiety, and cognition), and health-related factors (falls and fear of falling, fatigue, vision and balance problems, weight, smoking, and cane use). RESULTS: Walking at least 8 blocks per week was strongly negatively related to severity of walking difficulty. Independent of difficulty level, older age, black race, fatigue, obesity, and cane use were also negatively associated with walking; living alone and high mastery had a positive association with walking. CONCLUSIONS: Even among functionally limited women, sociocultural, psychological, and health-related factors were independently associated with walking behavior. Thus, programs aimed at improving walking ability need to address these factors in addition to walking difficulties to maximize participation and compliance.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2001

Walking training of patients with hemiparesis at an early stage after stroke: a comparison of walking training on a treadmill with body weight support and walking training on the ground.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of walking training on a treadmill with body weight support (BWS) and walking training on the ground at an early stage of rehabilitation in patients with hemiparesis after stroke. DESIGN: Randomized controlled experimental study. SETTING: Multicentre design; three departments of rehabilitation medicine. SUBJECTS: Seventy-three consecutive first stroke patients admitted to a rehabilitation clinic were randomized into a treatment group and a control group. INTERVENTIONS: The treatment group received walking training on a treadmill with BWS for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. The control group received walking training according to the Motor Relearning Programme (MRP) on the ground for 30 minutes 5 days a week, not including treadmill training. During the time in the rehabilitation department (about two months), all patients in the study also received professional stroke rehabilitation besides the walking training in the two groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional Independence Measure (FIM), walking velocity for 10 m, Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC), Fugl-Meyer Stroke Assessment and Berg's Balance Scale. The assessments were performed at admission, at discharge and at 10-month follow-up. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups at discharge or at the 10-month follow-up with regard to FIM, walking velocity, FAC, Fugl-Meyer Stroke Assessment, and Berg's Balance Scale. Patients in both groups improved in these variables from admission to the 10-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Treadmill training with BWS at an early stage of rehabilitation after stroke is a comparable choice to walking training on the ground.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Analysis of human abnormal walking using a multi-body model: joint models for abnormal walking and walking aids to reduce compensatory action.

This paper proposes new models of diseased joints and evaluates the effectiveness of walking aids such as a cane and a brace for compensating for lost functions due to joint disorders. The ZMJ concept described in the previous work (Yamashita and Tagawa, 1988. In: Radharaman (Ed.), Robotics and Factories of the Future'87. Springer, New York, pp. 670-677) is modified into three joint models as follows: a passive element joint (PEJ) which has a spring at the diseased joint; a constrained range joint (CRJ), the motion of which stays within some constrained relative angle; a partial moment joint (PMJ) which can produce a partial amount of the moment produced about the joint in normal walking. A cane can enlarge a supporting area and adjust the posture of the upper torso to be upright. An ischial weight-bearing brace is effective for conservative management of hip disorders by reducing a load to the joint (Shiba et al., 1998. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 351, 149-157). Walking aids like a cane or brace have been conveniently used by the handicapped. Abnormal walking was simulated for each joint model. Dynamic effects of a cane and a brace on abnormal walking were examined by the multi-body walking model.

Ankle Joint↗
PubMed1980

[Objective evaluation of arterial intermittent claudication by the walking tolerance test. Comparative study of physiological walking and walking on a conveyor belt (author's transl)].

Two methods are used to evaluate the walking distance: physiological walking along a standard path (0% - 6 mk/h) and walking on a tread mill (10% - 3 km/h). In both tests, four data are checked: -- initial trouble distance, -- cramp or walking-distance, -- localisation of pain, -- recovery time. These tests are dependable for the diagnosis of arterial claudication, reproducible and well tolerated. Their results have been compared: there is no correlation between the initial trouble distance and the cramp distance. However there is a correlation between the cramp distance by physiological walking and on treadmill. Recovery time, if long, is a criteria of gravity. Interests of both methods are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A walking program for nursing home residents: effects on walk endurance, physical activity, mobility, and quality of life.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of a 12-week walking program on walk endurance capacity, physical activity level, mobility, and quality of life in ambulatory nursing home residents who had been identified as having low physical activity levels and low walk endurance capacities. To determine the effects of 12 versus 22 weeks of walk training on walk endurance capacity, physical activity level, mobility, and quality of life in ambulatory nursing home residents. DESIGN: Experiment 1: Residents of one nursing home campus were assigned to the walking program, and residents of a second campus were assigned to the social visit control group. Outcome measures were taken before and after 12 weeks. Experiment 2: Pretest/posttest with outcome measures taken before and, again, after 12 and 22 weeks of walking. SETTING: Two campuses of the Jewish Homes for the Aging in the Los Angeles area. PARTICIPANTS: Experiment 1: Nineteen of 22 residents in the walking group completed the walking program, and 12 of 15 residents in the control group completed the study. Experiment 2: Thirty of 41 residents (from the two nursing homes) completed the 22-week walking program. INTERVENTION: Experiment 1: The walking program involved each resident walking with research staff at his/her self-selected walking pace, 5 days per week for 12 weeks, for a maximum of 30 minutes per day; while the control group had weekly individual social visits, which lasted 30 minutes, from a research assistant. Experiment 2: All residents, those in both the walking and the control group, were offered the opportunity to complete 22 weeks of walking. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maximal walk endurance capacity, the resident's maximum walk time performed in a single day of walking (distance and speed also were measured); physical activity level based on time-sampled observations and physical activity monitors; mobility as measured with the Timed-Up-and-Go test, left handgrip strength, and Tinetti's Mobility Assessment; and quality of life as assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale (a bodily pain scale) and the Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Information Project (COOP) physical work chart. RESULTS: Experiment 1: The walking group significantly improved their maximal walk endurance time by 77% and distance by 92%, with no significant change in walk speed; however, the control group showed no significant changes in these variables. There were no significant group by time interactions on measures of physical activity, mobility, and quality of life. Experiment 2: No further significant changes were found from 12 to 22 weeks in walk endurance capacity, physical activity, mobility, or quality of life. CONCLUSION: Twelve weeks of daily walking at a self-selected walking pace by ambulatory nursing home residents produced significant improvements in walk endurance capacity. No other significant changes were noted in physical activity level, mobility, or quality of life in either group after the intervention. Also, there were no side effects, such as increases in falls or cardiovascular complications, due to the walking intervention. Lengthening the walking program to 22 weeks produced no further significant changes in any outcome measures.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

[Questionnaire research of the participants in a large scale walking event Fukuoka City analysis of walking habits and related factors].

PURPOSE: We examined the walking habits of the participants in the 'AIREF Spring Walk' which was held on March 9, 1997 in the western suburb of Fukuoka City. The aim of this walking event was to motivate the citizens, especially sedentary people, to walk by providing them an opportunity to enjoy walking. METHODS: The participants walked one of three distances (5 km, 10 km or 20 km) and answered anonymously a questionnaire immediately after finishing (100% response rare). The questionnaire items covered sex, age, district of residence, the distance of the walking course, the source of information on the event, experience of participating in other walking events in the past, and walking habits. RESULTS: The participants of this event (n = 1,039, mean age 49.4 +/- 18.9 [SD] years) were characterized by high rates for females (67%), those aged < 50 years (42%), residents of Fukuoka City (89%), those who chose to walk the shorter courses of 5 or 10 km (74%), and those who took part in a walking event for the first time (61%). Information on the event was obtained through other people (32%) such as friends, acquaintances, members of community walking groups or other family members, leaflets (21%) placed in the Fukuoka Health Promotion Center and seven Fukuoka City public health centers; a newspaper published biweekly by the municipal government (13%); and direct mail (11%). For those attending the 5 km course, more participants learned about the event through other family members compared with the other two courses. Participants who answered that they walked regularly constituted 56% of those aged 20 years or older. The rates for regular walkers significantly increased with the older participants (p < 0.01) and those who chose longer courses (p < 0.001). Compared with the regular walkers, those without a walking habit tended to have acquired information on the event from friends, acquaintances or other family members, or at their work sites (35%). The average amount of time spent was 249 +/- 175 min/week (n = 375). As a whole, only 30% of the participants aged 20 years or older walked longer than the amount of time for aerobic exercise recommended by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry (HLWM). The rate for those who reached the HLWM recommendations was increased in older subject (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the aim of the walking event was partly accomplished, which was reflected by the relatively high rates of participation sedentary for people, compared with other large walking events. The sedentary participants tended to choose the relatively short distances and obtain the information about the event through other people. Walking promotion programs should be developed to motivate sedentary citizens to walk. The programs should also support regular walkers, many of whom are 50 years old or older, to maintain walking habits with the HLWM recommendations on aerobic exercise.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The ankle brachial index independently predicts walking velocity and walking endurance in peripheral arterial disease.

OBJECTIVES: Maintaining function among older men and women is an important public health goal as the population lives longer with chronic disease. We report the relationships between lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD), PAD severity, and PAD-related symptoms with walking velocity and endurance among men and women aged 55 and older. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design. SETTING: An academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Participants with PAD were men and women aged 55 and older identified from a blood flow laboratory or a general medicine practice (n = 158). Randomly selected controls without PAD were identified from the general medicine practice (n = 70). MEASUREMENTS: PAD was diagnosed and quantified using the ankle brachial index (ABI). Subjects were categorized according to whether they had severe PAD (ABI <0.40), mild to moderate PAD (ABI 0.40 to <0.90), or no PAD (ABI 0.90 to <1.50). Walking endurance was assessed with the 6-minute walk. Usual walking velocity and maximal walking velocity were assessed with "usual" and "maximal" paced 4-meter walks, respectively. RESULTS: Average distances achieved in the 6-minute walk were 1569+/-390 feet for subjects with ABI 0.90-1.50, 1192+/-368 feet for subjects with ABI 0.40 to <0.90, and 942+/-334 feet for subjects with ABI < 0.40 (trend P value < .001). Walking velocities for both the usual and maximal paced 4-meter walks were slowest among subjects with ABI < 0.40 and fastest among subjects with ABI 0.90 to <1.50. Subjects with PAD who had pain at rest had slower walking velocity and poorer walking endurance than other subjects with PAD. In multiple linear regression analyses that included subjects with PAD only, ABI level was an independent predictor of 6-minute walk performance (regression coefficient = 159 ft/0.40 ABI units, P = .011), usual paced 4-meter walk (regression coefficient = .095 meters/sec/0.40 ABI units, P = .031), and maximal paced 4-meter walk (regression coefficient = .120 meters/sec/0.40 ABI units, P = .050) adjusting for age, sex, race, leg symptoms, and comorbid diseases known to affect functioning. Pain at rest was associated independently with the maximally paced 4-meter walk (-0.201 meters/sec, P = .024), but not with the other walks. CONCLUSION: ABI level has a measurable and independent association with walking endurance and both usual and maximal walking velocity. These data suggest that PAD may impair lower extremity function by diminishing function of both Type I ("slow twitch") and Type II ("fast twitch") muscle fibers. Because walking velocity has important prognostic implications for functioning, these data also suggest that ABI may be used to identify patients at increased risk of mobility loss.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Walking cycle recording and analysis for FNS-assisted paraplegic walking.

In closed-loop functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS)-assisted paraplegic walking, there is a need for reference leg motion trajectories that describe the desired walking cycle. These reference trajectories were defined as the angular changes between the leg segments, as measured by an electrogoniometer system. For each leg, the hip, knee and ankle trajectories of normal individuals during slow walking were measured and sampled over a number of cycles. Additionally, foot contact with the ground was measured to synchronise the various walking trajectories. Each joint's angular trajectory was averaged over a number of walking cycles, using an interpolation method based on a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and inverse DFT technique, to expand all the signals to the same length. In this way an average walking cycle was obtained for each trial, representing the six averaged leg motion trajectories for one walking cycle. Angular trajectories and walking parameters for slow and normal walking were compared so as to investigate principles of walking cycle adaptation necessary to stabilise the body during slow walking. In general, angular trajectories were similar for different subjects, but different for different walking speeds, due to the greater demands on maintaining stability during slow walking. It can be concluded that normal speed walking consists of separate, unstable phases, whereas slow speed walking, relevant for paraplegic walking, requires stabilising each separate phase of the walking cycle.

Ankle Joint↗
PubMed2005

Walking in postpoliomyelitis syndrome: the relationships between time-scored tests, walking in daily life and perceived mobility problems.

OBJECTIVE: To compare walking test results with walking in daily life, and to investigate the relationships between walking tests, walking activity in daily life, and perceived mobility problems in patients with post-poliomyelitis syndrome. SUBJECTS: Twenty-four ambulant patients with post-poliomyelitis syndrome. METHODS: Walking tests were performed at self-preferred and maximal speed. Walking activity was measured with an ambulatory activity monitor. Heart rate, step cadence and walking speed in the test and in daily life were compared. Walking speed in daily life was represented by the intensity of walking. Perceived mobility problems were assessed with the Nottingham Health Profile. RESULTS: Heart rate during walking was lower in the test at self-preferred speed than in daily life (mean difference: 11.3+/-10.4; p=0.001). Self-preferred walking speed in the test and in daily life correlated significantly (r=0.55; p=0.04). In a sub-group with a test performance below the median value, test performance correlated significantly with walking activity. No significant correlation was found between perceived mobility problems and walking activity. CONCLUSION: Walking in daily life may be more demanding than walking under standardized conditions. Patients with post-poliomyelitis syndrome with the lowest test performance walked less in daily life. Patients do not necessarily match their activity pattern to their perceived mobility problems.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

What respondents recall about walking and what self-report items elicit about walking.

BACKGROUND: Research on the cognitive processing of survey questions suggests that the distribution of walking bouts (e.g., mean, skew) may influence retrospective self-report responses. METHODS: Undergraduate women (N = 209) kept a weekly log of their walking behavior, then responded to four different self-report measures of walking [National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Context, Fuzzy-Typical, and Fuzzy-Maximum]. The logs were evaluated to determine which walking characteristics best summarized their walking behavior. Principal components analysis yielded three components of walking behaviors: Frequency, Duration, and Maximum. Multiple regression was used to determine if the walking components differentially predicted the four self-report measures of walking. RESULTS: The Maximum walking component was a significant predictor of all self-report measures of walking. The Context score was also predicted by the Frequency Component. The Frequency and Duration walking components did not predict the NHIS or Fuzzy self-report measures independently of Maximum walking. CONCLUSIONS: Frequency-by-duration self-report measures of walking appear to be more sensitive to the maximum rather than the frequency or duration of walking behavior. Measurement of the frequency of bouts may be best accomplished by providing a framework of recall cues around which walks of different types occur.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Aerobic treadmill plus Bobath walking training improves walking in subacute stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of aerobic treadmill plus Bobath walking training in subacute stroke survivors compared with Bobath walking training alone. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Rehabilitation unit. SUBJECTS: Fifty patients, first-time supratentorial stroke, stroke interval less than six weeks, Barthel Index (0-100) from 50 to 80, able to walk a minimum distance of 12 m with either intermittent help or stand-by while walking, cardiovascular stable, minimum 50 W in the bicycle ergometry, randomly allocated to two groups, A and B. INTERVENTIONS: Group A 30 min of treadmill training, harness secured and minimally supported according to patients' needs, and 30 min of physiotherapy, every workday for six weeks, speed and inclination of the treadmill were adjusted to achieve a heart rate of HR: (Hrmax-HRrest)*0.6+HRrest; in group B 60 min of daily physiotherapy for six weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome variables were the absolute improvement of walking velocity (m/s) and capacity (m), secondary were gross motor function including walking ability (score out of 13) and walking quality (score out of 41), blindly assessed before and after the intervention, and at follow-up three months later. RESULTS: Patients tolerated the aerobic training well with no side-effects, significantly greater improvement of walking velocity and capacity both at study end (p =0.001 versus p =0.002) and at follow-up (p <0.001 versus p <0.001) in the experimental group. Between weeks 0 and 6, the experimental group improved walking speed and capacity by a mean of.31 m/s and 91 m, the control group by a mean of 0.16 m/s and 56 m. Between weeks 0 and 18, the experimental group improved walking speed and capacity by a mean of 0.36 m/s and 111 m, the control group by a mean of 0.15 m/s and 57 m. Gross motor function and walking quality did not differ at any time. CONCLUSIONS: Aerobic treadmill plus Bobath walking training in moderately affected stroke patients was better than Bobath walking training alone with respect to the improvement of walking velocity and capacity. The treatment approach is recommended in patients meeting the inclusion criteria. A multicentre trial should follow to strengthen the evidence.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Brisk walking speed in older adults who walk for exercise.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the self-selected exercise intensity of older adults who report that they walk briskly for exercise. An additional aim of the study was to assess the contribution of self-reported physical activity to self-selected exercise intensity. DESIGN: Observational. SETTING: walking path. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects consisted of 212 participants in the Study of Physical Performance and Age-Related Changes in Sonomans who stated in a detailed home interview that they walked briskly for exercise. MEASUREMENTS: Observed brisk walking speed was measured as the time it took participants to walk half a mile at "normal brisk walking speed." Self-reported physical activity was categorized as metabolic equivalent of the task (MET) in minutes of exercise reported in the previous 7 days. Physiological measures and body composition were obtained through laboratory evaluation. RESULTS: Men walked at an average speed+/-standard deviation of 5.72+/-0.69 km/h and women walked at an average speed of 5.54+/-0.64 km/h. Self-reported physical activity was not associated with brisk walking speed when adjusted for age and ratio of lean to fat mass. CONCLUSION: This study found that older adults who report that they walk briskly for exercise do so at a pace considered moderate or greater in absolute intensity as indicated by their walking speed (4.83 km/h). Ninety-eight percent of men (93/95) and 97% of women (113/117) had an observed walking speed equivalent to 3 or more METs based on their calculated walking speed.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Functional electrical stimulation-assisted walking for persons with incomplete spinal injuries: changes in the kinematics and physiological cost of overground walking.

This study was conducted to investigate the change in the kinematics and physiological cost of walking that occurs during training with functional electrical stimulation (FES)-assisted walking in persons with incomplete injuries. The main effect of FES-assisted walking was to change hip excursion and ankle dorsiflexion during swing and at foot contact, whereas training with FES-assisted walking changed the spatio-temporal parameters of walking (walking speed, cycle length and frequency as well as time in stance). The use of FES-assisted walking does not change the walking speed achieved during a 5-minute trial nor the physiological cost of walking but when combined with walking training, eight of the nine participants improved either their physiological cost index or their walking speed. It is concluded that FES-assisted walking changes the joint angular kinematic pattern of walking, but training is necessary to integrate these changes into functional gains.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Treadmill versus shuttle walk tests of walking ability in intermittent claudication.

PURPOSE: To compare treadmill and shuttle walk tests for assessing functional capacity in patients with intermittent claudication, with respect to test-retest reliability, cardiovascular responses, and patient preferences. METHODS: Patients with stable intermittent claudication (N = 55, ages 52-85 yr, median age 68 yr) were recruited from the Sheffield Vascular Institute at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK. Each patient performed an incremental shuttle walk test, a constant-pace shuttle walk test, and a standardized treadmill test (3.2 km x h(-1), 12% gradient), each on three occasions. The incremental shuttle walk began at 3 km x h(-1) and increased by 0.5 km x h(-1) every minute, whereas the constant-pace shuttle walk was performed at the fixed pace of 4 km x h(-1). Claudication distance (CD), maximum walking distance (MWD), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure were assessed in each testing session. The patients also completed a test preference questionnaire. RESULTS: CD and MWD for both shuttle walks were greater than the corresponding walking distances achieved in the treadmill test (P < 0.001). Average coefficients of variation for repeated incremental shuttle walk, constant-pace shuttle walk, and treadmill tests were 15.9%, 21.1%, and 18.7%, respectively, for MWD, corresponding to average intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.87, 0.82, and 0.87. Treadmill walking evoked greater increases in HR and blood pressure (P < 0.001), and fewer patients expressed a preference for it (24 vs 43% for shuttle walking). CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that shuttle walk testing exhibits similar test-retest reliability as treadmill testing, but that it evoked a lower level of cardiovascular stress and is preferred to treadmill testing by a large proportion of patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Six-minute walking versus shuttle walking: responsiveness to bronchodilation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: The responsiveness of the endurance shuttle walk to functional changes following bronchodilation has recently been reported. The current literature suggests that the 6 min walking test (6MWT) is less responsive to bronchodilation than the endurance shuttle walk. AIM: To compare bronchodilator-induced changes in exercise performance with the 6MWT and the endurance shuttle walk. METHODS: In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 14 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) 50 (8)% predicted) completed two 6MWTs and two endurance shuttle walks, each preceded by nebulised placebo or 500 microg ipratropium bromide. Cardiorespiratory parameters were monitored during each walking test with a portable telemetric gas analyser. Quadriceps twitch force was measured by magnetic stimulation of the femoral nerve before and after each walking test. RESULTS: The 6 min walking distance did not change significantly after bronchodilation despite a significant increase in FEV(1) of 0.18 (0.09) litres (p<0.001). A similar change in FEV(1) (0.18 (0.12) litres, p<0.001) was associated with a significant improvement in the distance walked on the endurance shuttle walk (Deltadistance ipratropium bromide--placebo = 144 (219) m, p = 0.03). Quadriceps muscle fatigue was infrequent (<15% of patients) after both walking tests. CONCLUSION: The endurance shuttle walk is more responsive than the 6MWT for detecting changes in exercise performance following bronchodilation.

Aged↗