Functional reach of older adults: normative reference values based on new and published data.
Richard W Bohannon, Leslie I Wolfson, William B White
PMID 28843449WHAT IT FOUND
Functional reach in older adults averaged 27.2 cm across 7535 participants.
Single study means ranged from 17.8 to 36.8 cm. Use the combined values, not one study's mean, to judge a patient's standing reach.
Key findings
01The pooled average functional reach for 7535 older adults was 27.2 cm, with a 95% confidence interval of 25.5 to 28.9 cm.
02The INFINITY sample mean was 27.5 cm, very similar to the pooled mean of 27.2 cm, and individual study means ranged from 17.8 to 36.8 cm.
03Percentile values for functional reach were provided from the INFINITY study and the consolidated meta-analysis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The search was limited to PubMed and hand searches, so relevant published functional reach studies may have been missed. The new INFINITY data came only from older adults with systolic hypertension and white matter lesions. The pooled studies varied in age, gender, nationality, reach instructions, and limb preference. Some pooled studies included rest home or long-term care residents or known fallers. Because the published studies supplied only summary data, the analysis could not adjust for factors such as age, gender, stature, or procedure differences.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest based on financial or personal relationships relevant to the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read 27.2 cm as a pass or fail score. It is a pooled average from varied older adult samples, including people with hypertension and white matter lesions, rest home or long-term care residents, and known fallers, and the paper presents it as a reference value for interpreting performance.