Performance-based gait tests for acute stroke patients

Objective: Qualitative measures may not differentiate severity of deficits after an acute or subacute stroke. The aim of this study was to contrast the utility of performance-based gait tests with qualitative measures in a sample of acute stroke patients. Design: Twenty acute stroke subjects had their performance-based gait measured by gait speed, walking distance, gait energy expenditure, and gait energy cost. They were also qualitatively evaluated for cognition, functional outcomes, motor impairment, and Functional Ambulation Category. Results: Strong and significant correlations were observed among performance-based gait tests. Qualitative scales indicated moderate to minimal deficits in each domain evaluated, although they were not correlated among themselves, except for Functional Ambulation Category and FIM™ and FIM and Mini-Mental State Exam. Functional Ambulation Category correlated with performance-based gait tests. Conclusions: Performance-based gait tests are feasible to conduct during early recovery after a stroke and allow better discrimination among the patients than qualitative measures.