Five times sit-to-stand test performance in Parkinson's disease

Objectives: To (1) determine intrarater and test-retest reliability of the Five times sit-to-stand test (FTSTS) in Parkinson's disease (PD), (2) characterize FTSTS performance in PD at different disease stages, (3) determine predictors of FTSTS performance in PD, and (4) determine the utility of the FTSTS for discriminating between fallers and nonfallers with PD, identifying an appropriate cutoff score to delineate between these groups.

Design: Measurement study of community-dwelling individuals with idiopathic PD.

Setting: A medical school laboratory.

Participants: Participants (N=82) were recruited via population-based sampling. The final sample included 80 participants. Two were excluded because of exclusion criteria and an unrelated illness, respectively.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measures: FTSTS time (seconds) was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BEST), Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction-Quadriceps, 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT), 6-minute walk, Freezing of Gait Questionnaire, Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39, and Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

Results: Interrater and test-retest reliability for the FTSTS were high (intraclass correlation coefficients: .99 and .76, respectively). Mean FTSTS performance was 20.25 ± 14.12 seconds. All mobility measures were significantly correlated with FTSTS (P<.01). The Mini-BEST and 9HPT together explained 53% of the variance in FTSTS. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined a cutoff of 16.0 seconds (sensitivity, .75; specificity, .68) for discriminating between fallers and nonfallers, with an area under the curve of .77.

Conclusions: The FTSTS is a quick, easily administered measure that is useful for gross determination of fall risk in individuals with PD.