Feasibility, reproducibility and validity of the 10 meter Shuttle Test in mild to moderately impaired people with stroke.

<h4>Background</h4>There currently is no field test available for measuring maximal exercise capacity in people with stroke.<h4>Objective</h4>To determine the feasibility, reproducibility and validity of the Shuttle Test (ST) to measure exercise capacity in people with stroke.<h4>Design</h4>Longitudinal study design.<h4>Setting</h4>Rehabilitation department, day care centres from a nursing home and private practices specialized in neuro rehabilitation.<h4>Subjects</h4>People with subacute or chronic stroke.<h4>Interventions</h4>A standardized protocol was used to determine feasibility, reproducibility and validity of the 10-meter Shuttle Test (10mST).<h4>Main measures</h4>Number of shuttles completed, 1stVentilatory Threshold (1stVT).<h4>Results</h4>The associations of the number of shuttles completed and cardiopulmonary capacity as measured with a portable gas analyser were r > 0.7, confirming good convergent validity in subacute and chronic people with stroke. Criterion validity, however, indicates it is not a valid test for measuring maximal cardiopulmonary capacity (VO2max). Only 60% of participants were able to reach the 1stVT. Higher cardiopulmonary capacity and a higher total score of the lower extremity Motricity Index contributed significantly to a higher number of shuttles walked (p = 0.001).<h4>Conclusions</h4>The Shuttle Test may be a safe and useful exercise test for people after stroke, but may not be appropriate for use with people who walk slower than 2 km/h or 0.56 m/s.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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