The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA.
Sensors (Basel). 2023 Aug 18;23(16):7261. doi: 10.3390/s23167261.
The timed up and go test (TUG) is a common clinical functional balance test often used to complement findings on sensorimotor changes due to aging or sensory/motor dysfunction. The instrumented TUG can be used to obtain objective postural and gait measures that are more sensitive to mobility changes. We investigated whether gait and body coordination during TUG is representative of walking. We examined the walking phase of the TUG and compared gait metrics (stride duration and length, walking speed, and step frequency) and head/trunk accelerations to normal walking. The latter is a key aspect of postural control and can also reveal changes in sensory and motor function. Forty participants were recruited into three groups: young adults, older adults, and older adults with visual impairment. All performed the TUG and a short walking task wearing ultra-lightweight wireless IMUs on the head, chest, and right ankle. Gait and head/trunk acceleration metrics were comparable across tasks. Further, stride length and walking speed were correlated with the participants' age. Those with visual impairment walked significantly slower than sighted older adults. We suggest that the TUG can be a valuable tool for examining gait and stability during walking without the added time or space constraints.
计时起立行走测试（TUG）是一种常见的临床平衡功能测试，常用于补充因衰老或感觉/运动功能障碍引起的感觉运动变化的发现。仪器化 TUG 可用于获得更能反映移动性变化的客观姿势和步态测量值。我们研究了 TUG 期间的步态和身体协调性是否代表行走。我们检查了 TUG 的行走阶段，并将步态指标（步幅持续时间和长度、行走速度和步频）和头部/躯干加速度与正常行走进行了比较。后者是姿势控制的一个关键方面，也可以揭示感觉和运动功能的变化。40 名参与者被分为三组：年轻人、老年人和视力障碍的老年人。所有人都穿着超轻无线 IMU 在头部、胸部和右脚踝上进行 TUG 和短距离行走任务。在所有任务中，步态和头部/躯干加速度指标都相似。此外，步幅长度和行走速度与参与者的年龄相关。视力障碍者的行走速度明显慢于视力正常的老年人。我们建议 TUG 可以成为一种有价值的工具，用于在不增加时间或空间限制的情况下检查行走时的步态和稳定性。
