French researchers have concluded that the Functional Reach Test (FRT) is the best assessment of balance disorders while the two-minute walk test (2MW) is the best predictor of prosthetic walking limitations for patients after they have undergone a unilateral lower-limb amputation. The study results were published in the December 2012 issue of Prosthetics and Orthotics International.
The study objective was to determine the most pertinent among several selected functional tests to evaluate balance and prosthetic walking ability. The study evaluated 64 patients and seven outcome measures: the Timed Up and Go test, FRT, one-leg balance, tandem walking, a modified Houghton Scale, the Berg Balance Scale, and the 2MW.
The study’s authors said the results “may be useful to ensure…a simple and standardized way…[to] adapt treatments…at the definitive prosthetic phase.”
For more details about the study and its methods, see “Selecting a test for the clinical assessment of balance and walking capacity at the definitive fitting state after unilateral amputation: A comparative study.”
