Walking Function and Capacity in Middle-Aged and Older (59-66y) Adults With Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele: A 4-Year Follow-up Study.

Only 10 people were analysed, and the authors presented no statistical tests, so changes cannot be treated as reliable group effects. The sample came from an older cohort without hydrocephalus and excluded people who had died, could not attend, had treatment for other conditions, stopped walking, or had uncertain diagnosis, so it likely represents a higher-functioning group. The 30-m 6-minute walk threshold was taken from adults with lung conditions, not from people with spina bifida, so the flagged declines may not be directly comparable. One participant reported improvement and attributed it to gait and balance training, but this is a single case and cannot show that the training worked. Fatigue and pain were self-reported and may overlap; the paper says they are hard to distinguish.

The investigators reported no financial or nonfinancial disclosures related to the project.

Do not read the reported decline as a reliable average change for all adults with spina bifida. The paper was a very small descriptive follow-up, had no statistical tests, and excluded people who had died, stopped walking, or could not attend, so it describes a selected group.