Reliability and minimal detectable change of three functional tests: forward-lunge, step-up-over and sit-to-stand.
Carmen Luque-Siles, Tomas Gallego-Izquierdo, Jose Jesus Jímenez-Rejano and 7 others
PMID 28174457WHAT IT FOUND
In 45 healthy adults, balance tests repeated 6 to 8 days apart were most consistent for forward-lunge distance, contact time and impulse, and less consistent for step-up-over and sit-to-stand sway.
Key findings
01Forward-lunge distance was the most consistent variable, followed by impulse force and contact time.
02Step-up-over lift-up and impact indices were less able to detect real change than forward-lunge variables.
03Sit-to-stand center-of-gravity sway was less repeatable than the rising index and did not meet the study's repeatability limit.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The participants were healthy university adults (mean age 23.89 years), not people with balance or musculoskeletal problems. Five of 50 enrolled participants dropped out before the second session. Reliability was tested by one examiner; interexaminer reliability was not assessed. Same-session testing was done within 1 hour, so it mainly reflects short-term repeatability. The step-up-over test was performed spontaneously rather than quickly as the manufacturer recommends, so results may not match other protocols. No patients were tested, so the paper does not show that these tests detect disease or treatment change.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these tests are ready to diagnose disease or track rehabilitation. The study measured repeatability in healthy young adults only, and the step-up-over and sit-to-stand sway variables were not repeatable enough to support small clinical decisions.