THE "GET UP AND GO" TEST
This test is to used as a measure of balance in elderly patients. I would rather that this test were called "Get up, go and Get back" Test ..you will see why.
How is the Test Done ?
Have the patient sit in a straight-backed chair and ask him/her to:
1. Get up from a chair to standing position
2. Walk forward feet in a straight line
3. Turn back around & walk back to the chair
4. Sit down again
Interpreting the test:
You can either score it by the timing (Less than 20 seconds for the whole procedure is normal , More than 30 seconds indicates gait/balance problems) Or you can score it on a grading system like:
0 - patient does not use arm-rests to get up
1 - uses arm-rest in one attempt
3 - needs multiple attempts
4 - cant get up without assistance
all this Besides noting gait stability while walking
On the USMLE Step 2 CS, I would rather recommend either doing the easy timed method OR simply noting what you observed during the test - like difficutly in getting up , unsteady gait and needed assistance to sit back down..etc.
Now...if only there were a similar test to measure how worthy our politicians really are for their chairs ;-)
Google Keywords to this blog article:
- "standing balance gait"
- "scoring for get up and go tests"
This test is to used as a measure of balance in elderly patients. I would rather that this test were called "Get up, go and Get back" Test ..you will see why.
How is the Test Done ?
Have the patient sit in a straight-backed chair and ask him/her to:
1. Get up from a chair to standing position
2. Walk forward feet in a straight line
3. Turn back around & walk back to the chair
4. Sit down again
Interpreting the test:
You can either score it by the timing (Less than 20 seconds for the whole procedure is normal , More than 30 seconds indicates gait/balance problems) Or you can score it on a grading system like:
0 - patient does not use arm-rests to get up
1 - uses arm-rest in one attempt
3 - needs multiple attempts
4 - cant get up without assistance
all this Besides noting gait stability while walking
On the USMLE Step 2 CS, I would rather recommend either doing the easy timed method OR simply noting what you observed during the test - like difficutly in getting up , unsteady gait and needed assistance to sit back down..etc.
Now...if only there were a similar test to measure how worthy our politicians really are for their chairs ;-)
Google Keywords to this blog article:
- "standing balance gait"
- "scoring for get up and go tests"
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posted by Digitaldoc, MD at 1:36 PM
COMMENTS ON ""
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Anonymous said ... (1:35 PM) :
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Digitaldoc, MD said ... (2:49 PM) :
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Anonymous said ... (9:35 AM) :
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Anonymous said ... (8:34 AM) :
Post a commentIs there a chair available in the exam room, or do we have to ask them to get and go from the bed?
There definitely is a stool available
does anyone know what tandem test is?
Test tandem gait by asking the patient to walk a straight line while touching the heel of one foot to the toe of the other with each step. Patients with truncal ataxia caused by damage to the cerebellar vermis or associated pathways will have particular difficulty with this task, since they tend to have a wide-based, unsteady gait, and become more unsteady when attempting to keep their feet close together.