The 10 Meter Walk Test is a quick and simple outcome measure to obtain a patient's steady-state
gait speed.
Within 5 minutes you can have an insight into both a patient's general health and efficiency
of gait, which can then be used for patient education, outcome measurement, and even prognosis.
This video will show you how to set up the 10 Meter Walk Test, perform the test, as well
as explain how to measure a patient's performance.
The first thing to do is to find a 10 meter distance, or about 32.8 feet, to perform the
test.
Measure the 10 meter distance and place a marker at each end.
Once you have your 10 meter distance marked, measure 2 meters, or 6.6 feet, from each end
towards the middle.
Place a marker at these points.
You now have a start point and markings at 2, 8, and 10 meter distances.
Next you will need a stop-watch or a phone with a stop-watch feature.
This will be used to measure the time it takes the patient to complete the central 6 meters
of the 10 meter distance.
The 2 meters on either side are not timed and are intended for acceleration and deceleration.
Instruct the patient that they will walk from the start line to the finish line at either
a comfortable or a fast pace, as desired by the clinician.
For a comfortable pace, instruct the patient, saying, "In a moment, I will say ready, set,
go.
When I say go, I want you to walk at your normal, comfortable speed until I say stop."
For a fast pace, instruct the patient, saying, "In a moment I will say ready, set, go.
When I say go, I want you to walk as fast as you safely can until I say stop."
The patient may use an assistive device, but this should be kept consistent and documented.
If assistance is required, this test should not be performed.
As the patient performs the test, start timing when the toes of the leading foot cross the
2-meter mark.
Stop timing when the toes of the leading foot cross the 8-meter mark.
It is recommended to collect 3 trials and calculate the average time of the three trials.
In order to calculate gait speed, we will divide the distance covered by the time it took for
the patient to complete the test.
For example, if your patient takes an average of 9 seconds to walk 6 meters, divide 6 by
9 on a calculator or a phone with a calculator.
The value you receive, in this case 0.67, is the patient's gait speed expressed in meters
per second.
This is the standard format for clinical use.
When used with current clinical statistics, such as those found on missiongait.org, you
can use the measured gait speed for effective patient education, outcome measurement, and
prognosis.
Thank you for watching this video, and we hope you can bring this great tool into your
clinic.
If you want to learn more about this test, including current statistics, Mission Gait
has a free 'Gait Speed Toolkit' available on missiongait.org.
It includes a ready-to-go inservice, patient education flyer, clinical statistics, and
more.
If you want to see more of Mission Gait on YouTube, click the link in the corner to subscribe
or visit our YouTube channel for more content.