functional mobility tests for evaluation of functionalities in patients with adult spinal deformity.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. BACKGROUND: Current evaluation of patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) is mainly based on radiographic parameters derived from X-rays. However, due to their static nature, X-rays fall short of assessing the dynamic functionalities including balance, gait, and the risk of falling. This study aimed to determine the functionalities of ASD patients by measuring functional mobility tests (FMTs) and compared the relationships between patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with FMTs and radiographic parameters to determine whether FMTs are useful evaluation tools for the evaluation of patients with ASD. METHODS: This age- and sex-matched case-control study included 66 patients with ASD and 66 patients with LSS, all of whom were scheduled to undergo spinal surgery. All patients were evaluated with four FMTs including alternate step test (AST), six-meter walk test (SMT), sit-to-stand test (STS), and timed up and go test (TUGT). Correlations of the PROs with FMTs and static radiographic parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. However, compared with patients with LSS, those with ASD showed significantly poorer performance on all four FMTs, spending significantly more time performing the SMT, STS, and TUGT (P = 0.046, 0.045, and 0.015, respectively). The results of the four FMTs were significantly correlated with the ODI (Oswestry Disability Index) scores only in the ASD group and not in the LSS group. CONCLUSIONS: FMTs were appropriate tools for assessing the dynamic functionalities of patients with ASD. FMTs might play a bridging role between static radiographic parameters and subjective PROs when treating patients with ASD.

Minimizing comprehensive geriatric assessment to identify deterioration of physical performance in a healthy community-dwelling older cohort: longitudinal data of the AEQUIPA Versa study.

BACKGROUND: It is important to identify the relevant parameters of physical performance to prevent early functional decline and to prolong independent living. The aim of this study is to describe the development of physical performance in a healthy community-dwelling older cohort aged 70+ years using comprehensive assessment over two years and to subsequently identify the most relevant predictive tests for physical decline to minimize assessment. METHODS: Physical performance was measured by comprehensive geriatric assessment. Predictors for the individual decline of physical performance by Principal Component and k-means Cluster Analysis were developed, and sensitivity and specificity determined accordingly. RESULTS: 251 subjects (Ø 75.4 years) participated in the study. Handgrip strength was low in 21.1%. The follow-up results of tests were divergent. Handgrip strength [- 16.95 (SD 11.55)] and the stair climb power test (power) [- 9.15 (SD 16.84)] yielded the highest percentage changes. Four most relevant tests (handgrip strength, stair climb power time, timed up & go and 4-m gait speed) were identified. A predictor based on baseline data was determined (sensitivity 82%, specificity 96%) to identify subjects characterized by a high degree of physical decline within two years. DISCUSSION: Although the cohort of older adults is heterogeneous, most of the individuals in the study exhibited high levels of physical performance; only a few subjects suffered a relevant decline within the 2-year follow-up. Four most relevant tests were identified to predict relevant decline of physical function. CONCLUSION: In spite of ceiling effects of the geriatric assessment in high-performers, we assume that it is possible to predict an individual's risk of physical decline within 2 years with four tests of a comprehensive geriatric assessment.

The Detection of Thoracolumbar Spine Injuries in Horses with Chronic Laminitis Using a Novel Clinical-Assessment Protocol and Ultrasonographic Examination.

Postural adaptation is a prominent feature in horses affected by laminitis. Laminitis induces intense pain, especially in the forelimbs, prompting affected horses to assume a caudally displaced trunk posture, resulting in the hyperflexion of the thoracolumbar spine. This study assessed the nature and prevalence of thoracolumbar injuries in horses with chronic laminitis compared to horses without it. Sixty horses were used (thirty laminitic and thirty non-laminitic) of different athletic purposes and ages (2-20 years). The experimental protocol entailed a single assessment of horses' thoracolumbar spines, utilizing physical examination by MACCTORE, a scoring system developed specifically for this study. Additional evaluations included the Grimace Equine Pain Scale (HGS) and ultrasound exams. Statistical tests were used to compare values (Mann-Whitney or t-test) and lesions prevalences (Fisher) between groups (p < 0.05). The results showed a higher pain manifestation (HGS and heart rate, p < 0.0001) and thoracolumbar-spine-injury levels in chronic laminitis horses, both in MACCTORE clinical examinations (11.7 ± 4.8 vs. 4.2 ± 3.3, p < 0.0001) and general ultrasonographic indices (39.6 ± 12.0 vs. 20.7 ± 7.1, p < 0.0001), including specific examination approaches for various spinal elements. Horses with laminitis presented with a 14-fold higher prevalence of ultrasound-relevant lesions in the thoracolumbar spine (CI: 4.4 to 50.6, p < 0.0001) compared to controls. These findings constitute new evidence of an association between chronic laminitis and the presence of thoracolumbar spine injuries in horses, which may be confirmed by more sophisticated study designs.

Acceptability, Reliability, and Validity of Virtually Administered Gait Speed Tests.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the acceptability, reliability (inter- and intrarater), and validity (convergent, known groups, and predictive) of virtually administered gait speed tests for community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was performed, tracking health outcomes for a year. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The 3-m gait speed test at usual and fast pace was administered to community-dwelling older adults over Zoom. METHOD: To examine acceptability, participants completed questionnaires regarding telehealth usability and experience. Virtual gait speed tests were administered at baseline and 24 to 72 hours later to evaluate reliability. Self-report mobility measures were used to examine convergent and known-groups validity. Participants' health outcomes were tracked for a year to evaluate predictive validity. RESULTS: Sixty participants completed the baseline assessment and 52 completed the second assessment. Participants reported an overall positive experience with the test. Intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability ranged from 0.79 to 0.90. For convergent validity, correlations >0.30 were found predominantly for usual gait speed with self-report mobility measures. Both the usual- and fast-gait speed were able to discriminate between difficulty walking and gait aid use. Usual gait speed was able to predict specialist and family doctor visits and fast gait speed was able to predict rehabilitation specialist visits over 1 year. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings demonstrate support for the acceptability, reliability, and validity of virtually administered gait speed tests for community-dwelling older adults. Although future studies are needed to examine the validity of virtual gait speed tests in larger and more diverse samples to improve generalizability of results, clinicians and researchers can virtually administer 3-m gait speed tests with confidence that scores are trustworthy and reflect older adults' mobility.

The Aachen Mobility and Balance Index to measure physiological falls risk: a comparison with the Tinetti POMA Scale.

PURPOSE: The most commonly used mobility assessments for screening risk of falls among older adults are rating scales such as the Tinetti performance oriented mobility assessment (POMA). However, its correlation with falls is not always predictable and disadvantages of the scale include difficulty to assess many of the items on a 3-point scale and poor specificity. The purpose of this study was to describe the ability of the new Aachen Mobility and Balance Index (AMBI) to discriminate between subjects with a fall history and subjects without such events in comparison to the Tinetti POMA Scale. METHODS: For this prospective cohort study, 24 participants in the study group and 10 in the control group were selected from a population of patients in our hospital who had met the stringent inclusion criteria. Both groups completed the Tinetti POMA Scale (gait and balance component) and the AMBI (tandem stance, tandem walk, ten-meter-walk-test, sit-to-stand with five repetitions, 360° turns, timed-up-and-go-test and measurement of the dominant hand grip strength). A history of falls and hospitalization in the past year were evaluated retrospectively. The relationships among the mobility tests were examined with Bland-Altmananalysis. Receiver-operated characteristics curves, sensitivity and specificity were calculated. RESULTS: The study showed a strong negative correlation between the AMBI (17 points max., highest fall risk) and Tinetti POMA Scale (28 points max., lowest fall risk; r = -0.78, p < 0.001) with an excellent discrimination between community-dwelling older people and a younger control group. However, there were no differences in any of the mobility and balance measurements between participants with and without a fall history with equal characteristics in test comparison (AMBI vs. Tinetti POMA Scale: AUC 0.570 vs. 0.598; p = 0.762). The Tinetti POMA Scale (cut-off <20 points) showed a sensitivity of 0.45 and a specificity of 0.69, the AMBI a sensitivity of 0.64 and a specificity of 0.46 (cut-off >5 points). CONCLUSION: The AMBI comprises mobility and balance tasks with increasing difficulty as well as a measurement of the dominant hand-grip strength. Its ability to identify fallers was comparable to the Tinetti POMA Scale. However, both measurement sets showed shortcomings in discrimination between fallers and non-fallers based on a self-reported retrospective falls-status.