Two-minute versus 6-minute walk distances during 6-minute walk test in neuromuscular disease: Is the 2-minute walk test an effective alternative to a 6-minute walk test?

ABSTRACT: Functional tests such as Motor Function Measure-32 (MFM-32), supine to stand, ascend/descend stairs permit the assessment of task-specific motor function in neuromuscular disease (NMD). The 6-min walk test (6MWT), though functional, is primarily used to assess endurance and disease progression in children with neuromuscular disorders. Barriers to 6MWT administration, in this population, can include reduced attention span due to age and inability to tolerate test length due to weakness. We propose task-specific functional deficits are related to endurance. Additionally, the 2-min walk test (2MWT) could effectively replace the 6MWT in this population. Seventy-seven participants, ages 5-18, with a variety of neuromuscular disorders performed the 6MWT, timed functional tests (TFT), and the MFM

SUBMITTER: Witherspoon JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6423958 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature