The patients population in neuro rehabilitation unit wide range of adult age and both sexes and mostly have problems with their changed life style like using walking aids, wheel chair, dressing, series of falls after stroke.
Functional performance measured in following ways:.
1) 10 m walk on level ground at maximum velocity.
2) Walking endurance (self-adopted speed, limit of 600 m).
3) Stair climbing (self-adopted speed with or without hand rail, limit 90 stairs).
(Richard, Malouin and colleagues).
This test can be carried out over any reasonable distance 5-10m. Patients asked to walk with their preferred pace or can be asked to walk as fast as possible. The distance to be walked is marked out clearly on the floor. Time taken from when the patient's crosses a starting line on the floor to the finish line is measured with a stopwatch. The patients performance are compared overtime and displayed by group for feed back and kept as a record of progress, the result can expressed as time taken or as speed. (Wood, Wade etal.1987).
" The timed 10 m walk test can be performed by many elderly, frail, and severely limited patients who can not be test using standard (and more expensive) maximal cycle ergometry or treadmill etc.
Walking test is more reliable than other performance based measures in elderly persons, such as timed chair stands and weight lifting.
The correlates of four performance based measures, gait speed, timed 10 m walk, grip strength, and maximal respiratory pressure.".
(Perry J, Garrett M, Mulroy SJ) .
Most community dwelling elderly persons can quickly and safely perform this functional status test in the out patient clinical setting, The test may be used clinically to measure impact of lung disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, dysfunction and depression on exercise capacity and endurance in older adults, expected values should be adjusted for the patients age, height and weight.
(Berg K, Wood-Dauphinee S, Hewer RL) .