Psychometric properties of the Obstacles and Curb tests and their discriminative ability across functional levels in ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy.
Maha F Algabbani, Banan A Almass, Afaf A M Shaheen and 3 others
PMID 37042182WHAT IT FOUND
Obstacle and curb walking tests matched closely with standard timed walking and balance scores in 34 ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy, and times separated GMFCS levels.
They may help PTs assess challenging walking, not prove treatment effects.
Key findings
01Obstacle test times correlated very strongly with 10-MWT and mTUG, and Curb test times correlated very strongly with mTUG and strongly with 10-MWT.
02The Obstacle and Curb test scores had AUC values of 0.95 and 0.96, indicating outstanding discrimination, with cutoff times of 6.2 seconds and 4.1 seconds.
03Obstacle and Curb test times differed significantly across GMFCS Levels I, II, and III, with slower times at higher levels.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample, and the number of children in each GMFCS level was small: 12 at Level I, 12 at Level II, and 10 at Level III. Reliability was tested only within the same session, 30 minutes apart, so it does not show how stable scores are across days or between different raters. The study did not test inter-rater reliability or responsiveness to treatment. It included only ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy at GMFCS Levels I to III, so results do not apply to non-ambulatory children or other CP types. 44 children with CP were invited and 10 were excluded, so the analysed group may not represent all children with CP.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use the 6.2 second and 4.1 second cutoff times as a diagnostic test for cerebral palsy or as proof that therapy worked. They were derived from 34 ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy and 34 matched typically developing children, and the study measured test properties within one session, not change after treatment.