Using the Imagined Timed Up and Go Test to Identify Fall Risk over the 6-Month Period after Discharge in Patients with Stroke / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine whether or not the time difference index of the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and the imagined TUG (iTUG), which reflects motor imagery capacity, has utility in predicting falls in patients with stroke. Method: A follow-up study of falls occurring over the 6-month period after discharge was performed in 47 patients with stroke. Baseline values were evaluated at discharge for subject age, sex, disease name, paralysis side, disease duration, fall history, whether a gait assistive device was used, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), TUG, and the time difference (delta time) between TUG and iTUG. A logistic regression analysis was performed using the number of falls and evaluation results, and the predictive factors for falls were extracted. Results: Thirty-three patients were followed for the entire 6-month period, and the fall rate was 48.5%. According to the results of the analysis, only delta time was a significant fall factor (<i>p</i><0.01), and the cutoff value for fall prediction was 0.88%. Conclusion: Our results show that delta time could be used to identify the likelihood of a fall occurrence over the 6-month period after discharge in patients with stroke.