Tag: physical therapy

Tests & Measures of Body Structures and Body Functions

JoLee is a four-year-old girl with mixed spastic/dystonic cerebral palsy, GMFCS III.  Her physical therapy progress report is due and you would like to use objective tests and measures that are appropriate for her age.  After looking through this list, you decide on the ECAB for balance, the SATCo for trunk control, and the HAT for hypertonia/dystonia.   Of course you will also do traditional range of motion testing and an Adam’s forward bend test.  What’s unfamiliar on the list?  The MPST for anaerobic performance looks interesting, but it isn’t valid for JoLee’s age. 

Continue reading “Tests & Measures of Body Structures and Body Functions”

How to Use the 30-Second Walk Test (30sWT)

Walking from class to the school library, Josh falls to the back of the line.   Shortly thereafter, a gap forms between Josh and the rest of his class.  He is last to arrive and gets the half-functioning computer that everyone else avoids.   As his PT,  you are there to observe, problem-solve and treat.   The computer lab is a half-minute walk from class.    His concerned teacher asks, “Has he always had this difficulty?  Is his walking speed typical for this age?”  Do you have an answer for this question?

30sWT Quick Facts:

  • Age 5-17
  • natural environment
  • walking at natural pace

Josh’s slow walking speed was a major concern at the beginning of the school year.  At that time, the thirty-second walk test (30sWT) result was clear; he was below the 5th percentile for boys his age and off the low-end of the chart.   But as of right now, his time has improved because he has better propulsion and a more efficient gait. Continue reading “How to Use the 30-Second Walk Test (30sWT)”