TY - JOUR
T1 - Between-Day Reliability of the Gait Characteristics and Their Changes During the 6-Minute Walking Test in People With Multiple Sclerosis
AU - Santinelli, Felipe Balistieri
AU - Ramari, Cintia
AU - Poncelet, Marie
AU - Severijns, Deborah
AU - Kos, Daphne
AU - Pau, Massimiliano
AU - Kalron, Alon
AU - Meyns, Pieter
AU - Feys, Peter
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Background: Gait characteristics and their changes during the 6-minute walking test (6MWT) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) have been described in the literature, which one may refer to as walking fatigability in the body function level of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. However, whether these metrics are reliable is unknown. Objective: To investigate the between-day reliability of the gait characteristics and their changes in pwMS and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Forty-nine pwMS (EDSS 4.82 ± 1.22 and 54.7 ± 9.36 years) and 23 HCs (50.6 ± 6.1 years) performed the 6MWT, as fast as possible but safely while wearing Inertial Measurement Units. Gait characteristics were measured in the pace, rhythm, variability, asymmetry, kinematics, coordination, and postural control domains and were obtained in intervals of 1 minute during the 6MWT. In addition, gait characteristics change in the last minute compared with the first minute were calculated for all gait variables using a fatigability index (ie, distance walking index). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland–Altman Plots, and Standard error of measurement were applied to investigate reliability. Results: Reliability of gait characteristics, minute-by-minute, and for their changes (ie, using the fatigability index) ranged from poor to excellent (pwMS: ICC 0.46-0.96; HC: ICC 0.09-0.97 and pwMS: ICC 0-0.72; HC: ICC 0-0.77, respectively). Conclusion: Besides coordination, at least 1 variable of each gait domain showed an ICC of moderate or good reliability for gait characteristics changes in both pwMS and HC. These metrics can be incorporated into future clinical trials and research on walking fatigability. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05412043.
AB - Background: Gait characteristics and their changes during the 6-minute walking test (6MWT) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) have been described in the literature, which one may refer to as walking fatigability in the body function level of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. However, whether these metrics are reliable is unknown. Objective: To investigate the between-day reliability of the gait characteristics and their changes in pwMS and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Forty-nine pwMS (EDSS 4.82 ± 1.22 and 54.7 ± 9.36 years) and 23 HCs (50.6 ± 6.1 years) performed the 6MWT, as fast as possible but safely while wearing Inertial Measurement Units. Gait characteristics were measured in the pace, rhythm, variability, asymmetry, kinematics, coordination, and postural control domains and were obtained in intervals of 1 minute during the 6MWT. In addition, gait characteristics change in the last minute compared with the first minute were calculated for all gait variables using a fatigability index (ie, distance walking index). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland–Altman Plots, and Standard error of measurement were applied to investigate reliability. Results: Reliability of gait characteristics, minute-by-minute, and for their changes (ie, using the fatigability index) ranged from poor to excellent (pwMS: ICC 0.46-0.96; HC: ICC 0.09-0.97 and pwMS: ICC 0-0.72; HC: ICC 0-0.77, respectively). Conclusion: Besides coordination, at least 1 variable of each gait domain showed an ICC of moderate or good reliability for gait characteristics changes in both pwMS and HC. These metrics can be incorporated into future clinical trials and research on walking fatigability. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05412043.
KW - day-to-day variability
KW - fatigue
KW - gait
KW - multiple sclerosis
KW - psychometrics
KW - walking
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185324080&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/15459683231222412
DO - 10.1177/15459683231222412
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
C2 - 38229519
AN - SCOPUS:85185324080
SN - 1545-9683
VL - 38
SP - 75
EP - 86
JO - Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
JF - Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
IS - 2
ER -