Timed Up and Go Test (TUG)

Measurement Property Summary

Number of studies reporting psychometric properties: 12

Interpretability

• No cut-points or norms have been established for the SCI population
• Published data is available for comparison (see Interpretability section of the Study Details sheet).
• MCID: 14.5 seconds (Duffell et al. 2015; n=83; 57 males, 26 females; mean age: 47.28 years; outpatient; and incomplete SCI; and >12 months postinjury)
• SEM: 3.9 seconds (Lam et al. 2008, calculated from measurements made in van Hedel et al. 2005; n=22; 14 males; AIS A-D; paraplegia; and no information on chronicity)
• MDC: 10.8 seconds (Lam et al. 2008, calculated from measurements made in van Hedel et al. 2005; n=22; 14 males; AIS A-D; paraplegia; and no information on chronicity)

Threshold Values

Not established in SCI; but for community-dwelling older adults, a time of > 13.5s indicates a risk of falling.

(Shumway-Cook et al 2000; n=30; mean (SD) age 78 (6) years; sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 100%)

Reliability – High

Number of studies reporting reliability data: 4

• High inter-rater reliability: ICC = 0.999

(Srisim et al. 2015; n=83; ASIA C-D; and mean time since injury (multiple and non-multiple fallers): 46.72-58.70 months)

• High intra-rater reliability: r = 0.979
• High inter-rater reliability: r = 0.973
• Bland-Altman plot indicated that inter-rater reliability was better than intra-rater reliability and that repeatability of the test depends on patient’s walking performance.

(van Hedel et al. 2005; n=22; 14 males; 7 cervical, 7 thoracic, 7 lumbar, and 1 sacral; and no information on chronicity)

Validity – Moderate to High

Number of studies reporting validity data: 9

• High correlation with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS): r= -0.75 to -0.815

(Jorgensen et al. 2017; n=46; 32 males, 14 females; 7 ASIA A-C, 39 ASIA D; Lemay & Nadeau 2010; n=32; 25 males; AIS D; level of injury: cervical – lumbar; and mean (SD) time since injury: 77.2 (44.3) days)

• High correlation with the SCI-Functional Ambulation Inventory (SCI-FAI): ρ = -0.724 to -0.802
• High correlation with the 10 Meter Walk Test (10MWT): Correlation with 10MWT speed r= -0.646

(Lemay & Nadeau 2010; n=32; 25 males; AIS D; level of injury: cervical – lumbar; and mean (SD) time since injury: 77.2 (44.3) days)

• High correlation with 10MWT time: r = 0.81-0.96

(van Hedel 2008; n=6-127 (depending on time-point), calculated at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post-injury, no info on injury types)

• High correlation with the Walking Index for SCI (WISCI-II): ρ = -0.76
• High correlation with the 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT): ρ = -0.88

(van Hedel et al. 2005; n=62; mixed injury types, no information on chronicity)

• High correlation with the Mini BESTest: r = -0.75 (p<0.001)

(Jorgensen et al. 2017; n=46; 32 males, 14 females; 7 ASIA A-C, 39 ASIA D)

• Moderate correlation with the SCI Gait Deviation Index: r = 0.582

(Sinovas-Alonso et al. 2023; n=35; 24 males, 11 females; mean (SD) age: 35.5 (17.2) years; and incomplete SCI. n=50 non-SCI).

• Moderate correlation with the Standing and Walking Assessment Tool: ρ=-0.691 (p<0.001)

(Musselman et al. 2022; n=618; 141 females; and traumatic SCI)

Responsiveness

No values for the responsiveness of the TUG have been reported.

Floor/Ceiling Effect

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

Reviewer

Dr. Janice Eng, Dr. Carlos L. Cano-Herrera

Date Last Updated

December 31, 2024