Five-repetition sit-to-Stand test among patients post-stroke and healthy-matched controls: the use of different chair types and number of trials

ABSTRACT

Background: In 2018, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) published a clinical guideline for adults with neurological conditions, which included recommendations for the Five-Repetition Sit-to-Stand test (5STSt). According to the APTA, a standard-height chair should be used, but there is no recommendation regarding seat depth. In addition, the APTA recommended the use of one trial of the test, based on expert opinion.

Objectives: (1) Compare the 5STSt scores of patients post-stroke and healthy-matched controls using two types of chairs (one standardized and one adjusted to the individual’s anthropometric characteristics); and (2) Verify whether different numbers of trial affect the 5STSt scores.

Methods: Eighteen patients post-stroke and 18 healthy-matched controls performed three trials of the 5STSt for each type of chair. ANOVA was used for analysis (α = 0.05).

Results: No significant interaction between groups and chairs was found. Patients post-stroke showed worsened performances in 5STSt when using both chairs compared to the healthy controls (p = .001). In both groups, the 5STSt scores were lower when using a standardized chair than an adjusted chair (p < .003) and different numbers of trials provided similar 5STSt scores (0.44 ≤ p ≤ 0.98).

Conclusion: The 5STSt scores were affected by the physical characteristics of the chair, and an adjusted chair should be used. The APTA recommendation for one trial of the 5STSt is supported by the present results.

KEYWORDS:

• Stroke
• activities of daily living
• sit-to-stand
• rehabilitation

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES – Finance Code 001), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and Pró-reitoria de Pesquisa da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (PRPq/UFMG) for funding support.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Financial code: 001); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais  (FAPEMIG); Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (PRPq/UFMG).