Concurrent validity of the GAITRite electronic walkway and the 10-m walk test for measurement of walking speed after stroke.
Brice T Cleland, Haris Arshad, Sangeetha Madhavan
PMID 30599332WHAT IT FOUND
After stroke, 10-meter walk test and GAITRite matched best at maximal speed but not comfortably.
Comfortable speeds were faster on the 10-meter test, so do not swap the tests or compare scores across them.
Key findings
01In 77 chronic stroke survivors, agreement between 10MWT and GAITRite was poor to good for comfortable walking speed and excellent for maximal walking speed.
02At comfortable walking speed, 10MWT was faster than GAITRite, and the limits of agreement were 0.43, which exceeded the minimal detectable change of 0.18 m/s.
03The authors advise caution when comparing 10MWT and GAITRite and say they may not be appropriate to use interchangeably.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study only compared two ways of measuring walking speed; it did not show which one is closer to the person's true speed. All participants were chronic stroke survivors, and most could walk without an assistive device, so results may not apply to people who are more impaired. The 10-meter test used a stopwatch, and the average difference between tests was 0.08 m/s, which the authors note falls within the range of differences they cite for stopwatch versus GAITRite error. The limits of agreement were larger than the minimal detectable change values the authors cite, so test-to-test differences may not reflect real change.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The article metadata lists NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the excellent agreement at maximal speed as proof that the 10-meter walk test and GAITRite can be used interchangeably. At comfortable speed the 10-meter test was faster, and the disagreement ranges exceeded the minimal detectable change, so a change in score may be due to the test.