The opportunity for wounded servicemembers (SMs) to return to high-level activity and return to duty has improved with advances in surgery, rehabilitation, and prosthetic technology. As a result, there is now a need for a high-level mobility outcome measure to assess progress toward high-level mobility during and after rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to develop and determine the reliability of a new outcome measure called the Comprehensive High-Level Activity Mobility Predictor (CHAMP). The CHAMP consists of the Single Limb Stance, Edgren Side Step Test, T-Test, and Illinois Agility Test. CHAMP reliability was determined for SMs with lower-limb loss (LLL) (interrater: n = 118; test-retest: n = 111) and without LLL ( n = 97). A linear system was developed to combine the CHAMP items and produce a composite score that ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating better performance. Interrater and test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient values for the CHAMP were 1.0 and 0.97, respectively. A CHAMP score equal to or greater than 33 points is within the range for SMs without LLL. The CHAMP was found to be a safe and reliable measure of high-level mobility in SMs with traumatic LLL.
Keywords: OIF/OEF; Veterans; agility; high-level activity; lower-limb loss; military personnel; mobility; outcome measures; reliability; traumatic amputation.