Estimation of minimal detectable change in the 10-meter walking test for patients with stroke: a study stratified by gait speed

Yuichiro Hosoi; Takayuki Kamimoto; Katsuya Sakai; Masanari Yamada; Michiyuki Kawakami

doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1219505

Estimation of minimal detectable change in the 10-meter walking test for patients with stroke: a study stratified by gait speed

Front Neurol. 2023 Jul 19:14:1219505. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1219505. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yuichiro Hosoi¹, Takayuki Kamimoto¹, Katsuya Sakai², Masanari Yamada³, Michiyuki Kawakami¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
² Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Department of Rehabilitation, Ukai Rehabilitation Hospital, Aichi, Japan.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to classify and calculate the minimal detectable changes (MDC) in gait time and gait speed in a 10-meter walking test (10MWT) in patients with stroke classified according to their gait speed.

Methods: The participants were 84 patients with stroke. Their gait times were measured twice each at their comfortable gait speed (CGS) and maximum gait speed (MGS) on a 10-meter straight track, and gait speed was calculated using gait time. Participants were assigned to three speed groups based on their CGS: low-speed (<0.4 m/s; n = 19); moderate-speed (0.4-0.8 m/s; n = 29); and high-speed (>0.8 m/s; n = 36). For each group, first and second retest reliability and MDC of CGS and MGS were calculated using gait time and gait speed in the 10MWT.

Results: MDCs in the 10MWT at CGS were: low-speed group, gait time 5.25 s, gait speed 0.05 m/s; moderate-speed group, gait time 2.83 s, gait speed 0.11 m/s; and high-speed group, gait time 1.58 s, gait speed 0.21 m/s. MDCs in the 10MWT at MGS were: low-speed group, gait time 7.26 s, gait speed 0.04 m/s; moderate-speed group, gait time 2.48 s, gait speed 0.12 m/s; and high-speed group, gait time 1.28 s, gait speed 0.19 m/s.

Conclusion: Since the MDC of gait speed and gait time differ depending on the participant's gait speed, it is necessary to interpret the results according to the participant's gait speed when judging the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: 10MWT; MDC; gait speed; gait time; patients with stroke; reliability.