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Gait Speed: The 6th Vital Sign

Physical therapists frequently hear our patient’s voice that “being able to walk again” is what they hope that physical therapy intervention will help them to achieve. While much of physical therapy intervention focuses on improving this important functional skill, our assessments do not always reflect a key component of this important task: velocity. Self-selected walking speed is a powerful indicator of functional status for patients with a variety of diagnoses and movement dysfunctions that limit their ability to participate in meaningful activities and roles. While walking speed is a simple, robust, and clinically useful measure, physical therapists may not routinely employ it as a baseline and outcome measure of function.

On completion of this seminar, participant will:

• Discuss the rationale for and importance of using self-selected walking speed as a “vital sign” for function.
• Describe a strategy for examination of self-selected walking speed that will be feasible to integrate in their particular clinical practice setting
• Identify a plan of action to incorporate measurement of self-selected walking speed into routine physical therapy examination for patients typically seen in their practice setting.
• Describe key clinometric properties (reliability, concurrent validity, discriminatory and predictive usefulness, MDC and MCID) of walking speed as a measure of current function, outcome measure, and predictor of future function in the population of patients typically seen in their practice setting

800.332.WALK  •  education@litegait.com