• The FRT was originally designed as a simple reach test designed to assess standing balance.
  • This modified version is designed to assess sitting balance in individuals with SCI (i.e. modified FRT). Balance is defined as the ability to maintain control over upright posture during forward reach without stabilization.

Clinical Considerations

  • The mFRT mimics a functional activity that is required in daily living (i.e., reaching). It can distinguish between individuals who have abdominal and back extensors (i.e. high tetraplegia/high paraplegia versus low paraplegia) but not between individuals with high lesions.
  • The mFRT has been developed specifically for individuals with SCI and requires an individual to have 90 degrees of shoulder flexion. It is therefore not suitable for individuals with limited range of motion or musculoskeletal deformity.

ICF Domain

Activity ▶ Mobility

Administration

  • The individual is seated on a bench and the maximum distance forward they can reach is measured with the upper extremity flexed to 90 degrees. The anatomical landmark is the ulnar styloid process.
  • No weight bearing is allowed through the non reaching arm.
  • Instruct the patient to “Reach as far as you can forward without taking a step”
  • The individual is allowed two practice trials and then the following three trials are recorded.
  • Administration takes approximately 5 minutes.

Number of Items

1

Equipment

  • A meter stick/yardstick (attached horizontally to the wall)
  • a seat (mat or bench approximately 61 cm in width)
  • a backboard (at an angle of 80 degrees).

Scoring

The average of the three trials is reported in cm.

Languages

English

Training Required

No formal training is required.

Availability

The mFRT worksheet can be found here.

# of studies reporting psychometric properties: 3

Interpretability

MCID: not established
SEM & MDC:
SEM and MDC for mFRT for each group (calculated from Lynch et al. 1998):

SEM (cm)

MDC (cm)

Group 1 (C5-C6)

1.86

5.16

Group 2 (T1-T4)

1.67

4.62

Group 3 (T10-12)

1.48

4.11

  • No normative data or cut-points have been established for the SCI population
  • Published data for the SCI population is available for comparison (see the Interpretability section of the Study Details page)

Reliability – High

Intra-rater reliability is High for the mFRT (ICC = 0.85-0.94).

(Lynch et al. 1998; n=30; 30 males, mean (SD) age: 30.8 (7.2) years; complete motor injury)

Validity – Low to High

  • Low to High correlations between forward reach,right reach, and left reach areas of center-of-pressure sway (in cm2); and forward reach, right reach, and left reach:
    r = 0.25 (p = 0.428) to 0.82 (p = 0.001)

(Gatica-Rojas et al. 2024; n=10, 9 males, 1 female; mean age: 29 years; 10 ASIA A; injury level: thoracic; mean time post injury: 56.6 months)

  • High correlations between forward mFRT and Balance Master (first and second evaluation):
    r = 0.50 to 0.55
  • Moderate to High correlations between forward mFRT and FIM (first and second evaluation):
    r = 0.45 to 0.51
  • Low to Moderate correlations between forward mFRT and Stroke Assessment Scale (SAS) (first and second evaluation):
    r = 0.21 to 0.35

(Katz-Leurer et al. 2009; n=45, 5 males, 40 females; mean age: 63 years; stroke population)

Responsiveness

No values have been reported for the responsiveness of the mFRT for the SCI population.

Floor/Ceiling Effect

No values were reported for the presence of floor/ceiling effects in the mFRT for the SCI population.

Reviewer

Dr. Carlos L. Cano-Herrera, Elsa Sun

Date Last Updated

31 December 2024

Gatica-Rojas V, López-Monardez JC, Cartea-Velásquez R. Correlation Between Modified Functional Reach Test and Medio-Lateral Center of Pressure in Paraplegic Individuals With Motor-Complete Spinal Cord Injury. Bioengineering (Basel). 2024;11(12).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39768003/

Katz-Leurer M, Fisher I, Neeb M, Schwartz I, Carmeli E. Reliability and validity of the modified functional reach test at the sub-acute stage post-stroke. Disabil Rehabil. 2009;31(3):243-8
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18608433/

Lynch SM, Leahy P, Barker SP. Reliability of measurements obtained with a modified functional reach test in subjects with spinal cord injury. Phys Ther 1998;78:128-133.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9474105