Reliability and Validity of The Figure of 8 Walk Test With and Without Dual-Task

For people with stroke, walking on a curved path is more difficult than walking on a straight path and can lead to falls. Most of the outcome scales assessing the gait of people with stroke involve walking in a straight line or with one turn. Assessing a person with stroke walking on a straight path may not be indicative of real-life gait-related performance. The Figure of 8 Walk Test (F8WT) includes a straight and curved gait that may represent the daily gait. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating the reliability and validity of the dual-task F8W test in individuals with stroke. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the F8W and dual-task F8W test in individuals with stroke.

This prospectively designed study evaluated the demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants. The main outcome measures included the F8WT, dual-task F8WT, Standardised Mini Mental Test, The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Timed-Up and Go Test, 10-metre walk test, Modified Four Square Step Test and Six-Spot Step Test.

Inclusion criteria

• 50 years of age or older,
• Having had only one unilateral stroke at least 6 months before the study,
• Being medically stable,
• Being able to walk at least 10 metres with a cane or independently,
• Getting at least 24 points from the Standardised Mini Mental Test,
• Being able to perform the cognitive task (subtraction) given during the assessments.

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of additional orthopaedic, neurological or cardiovascular diseases that may affect balance and walking,
• Uncorrectable visual and hearing problems