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Walking Capacities (walking + capacity)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Walking capacity evaluated by the 6-minute walk test in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy

MUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 2 2008
Yu Takeuchi MD
Abstract Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an adult-onset motor neuron disease caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the androgen receptor gene. Because the progression of SBMA is slow, it is plausible to identify biomarkers that monitor disease course for therapeutic development. To verify whether the 6-min walk test (6MWT) is a biomarker of SBMA, we performed the 6MWT in 35 genetically confirmed patients and in 29 age-matched healthy controls. The walk distance covered within 6 min (6MWD) was significantly less in SBMA than it was in controls (323.3 ± 143.9 m and 637.6 ± 94.2 m, respectively; P < 0.001). In test,retest analysis, the intraclass correlation coefficient for the 6MWD was high in SBMA patients (r = 0.982). In a 1-year follow-up the 6MWD significantly decreased at a rate of 11.3% per year. Our observations suggest that the 6MWT is a biomarker that can be used to monitor progression of motor impairment in SBMA. Muscle Nerve, 2008 [source]

Avoiding misclassification bias with the traditional Charnley classification: Rationale for a fourth Charnley class BB

JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 9 2006
C. Röder
Abstract Long-term follow up of patients with total hip arthroplasty (THA) revealed a marked deterioration of walking capacities in Charnley class B after postoperative year 4. We hypothesized that a specific group of patients, namely those with unilateral hip arthroplasty and an untreated but affected contralateral hip was responsible for this observation. Therefore, we conducted a study taking into consideration the two subclasses that make up Charnley class B: patients with unilateral THA and contralateral hip disease and patients with bilateral THA. A sample of 15,160 patients with 35,773 follow ups that were prospectively collected over 10 years was evaluated. The sample was categorized into four classes according to a new modified Charnley classification. Annual analyses of the proportion of patients with ambulation longer than 60 min were conducted. The traditionally labeled Charnley class B consists of two very different patient groups with respect to their walking capacities. Those with unilateral THA and contralateral hip disease have underaverage walking capacities and a deterioration of ambulation beginning 3 to 4 years after surgery. Those with bilateral THA have stable overaverage walking capacities similar to Charnley class A. An extension of the traditional Charnley classification is proposed, taking into account the two different patient groups in Charnley class B. The new fourth Charnley class consists of patients with bilateral THA and was labeled BB in order to express the presence of two artificial hip joints and to preserve the traditional classification A through C. © 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res [source]

Six-minute walk test in obese children and adolescents: Reproducibility and validity,

PHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2009
Gunilla Morinder
Abstract Background and Purpose.,The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is increasingly used in clinical practice. The aims of this study were to determine the reproducibility of the 6MWT in obese children and adolescents, to describe walking capacity in this population and compare the results with values from normal-weight children (known group validity), and, finally, to describe the correlation between distance walked and estimated maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max).,Methods.,Reproducibility was determined by a test,retest design and known group validity by a comparative design. The 6MWT was first test,retested in 49 obese children (30 boys, 19 girls, 8,16 years, body mass index [BMI] 24.9,52.1,kg?m,2). Then, for validation, 250 obese children (126 boys, 124 girls, 8,16 years, BMI 23.2,57,kg/m2) and 97 normal-weight children (48 boys, 49 girls, 8,16 years, BMI 13.3,23.2,kg·m,2) performed the 6MWT. The obese children also performed a sub-maximal bicycle ergometry test.,Results.,In the test,retest, the obese children walked 571,m the first test and 57,m the second (p = 0.578). The measurement error (Sw) was 24,m, coefficient of variation (CV): 4.3% and the intraclass correlation (ICC1:1): 0.84. Repeatability was 68,m, and limits of agreement were +71 and ,65,m. In comparison mean (standard deviation), six-minute walk distance (6MWD) in the obese children was 571,m (65.5), and in the normal-weight children, 663,m (61.1) (p < 0.001). The correlation between 6MWD and estimated VO2max (r = 0.34) was low.,Conclusions.,The 6MWT showed good reproducibility and known group validity, and can be recommended for use in clinical practice in the studied population. To evaluate individual outcomes after intervention, the 6MWD needs to change by >68,m to be statistically significant. The 6MWD performed by obese children averaged 86% of the distance normal-weight children walked. In obese children, the correlation between 6MWD and estimated VO2max was low, hence the 6MWT cannot substitute a bicycle ergometry test. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]