The World health organisation scheme of impairment, disability and handicap is commonly used as the basis of framework for the development of outcome research and measurement. Many outcome measurement tools or instruments have been developed or are currently being developed by the research community.
Outcome measures are tools (e.g., instruments, questionnaires, scales, rating form etc.) used to uncover or identify the outcome of intervention for the client. Outcome measures are used to document change in client characteristics, functional abilities, or behaviours, overtime.
In the neurological rehabilitation department most of the patients come with impaired movement and abnormal muscle tone which is a common sequel of following central or peripheral lesion of the nervous system.
Patients have different neurological pathologies such as stroke, subarchnoid haemmorhage, multiple sclerosis, and ataxia, Parkinson's disease etc; with the wide range of adult age. Most of them have difficulties in activity of daily living such as moving; reaching to the objects, balance, posture and co-ordination of movement particularly in walking.
Most commonly used assessment technique with in the neurology rehabilitation department for measuring gait, speed, endurance of walking, walking aid, strength in legs is the timed walk.
There are several ranges of timed distance walk including 3 m walk, 10 m walk, and 20 m walk to assess patients with different neurological presentation.
I am going to talk about the timed 10 m walk as a neurological rehabilitation assessment tool in this writing why it is suitable to apply and what we are trying to measure in the patient with this tool.
Main Body.
Timed 10 m walk test.
The timed 10 m walk test is a performance-based test. It involves asking patient to walk over a set distance (5 m and return, or 10 m) at their own preferred speed, using their own preferred aid (including personal support if wished) and time would be measure in seconds and micro seconds.
