Assessment Overview

Purpose: The Functional Reach Test is a stationary test used to assess an individual’s balance.

Summary: The person stands in a fixed position and is asked to reach as far forward as they can with their arm flexed to 90° and their hand in a fist. A yardstick should be taped on the wall at shoulder height and the subject reaches as far as possible without moving their feet or allowing their heels to rise from the floor. The distance is recorded at the third metacarpal head. This is a performance-based measure. The further an individual can reach without losing their balance the better.

Equipment: Meter stick

ICF Category: Activity

Assessment Handout

Assessment Psychometrics

According to the ICF model, this outcome measure assesses activity level tasks, specifically balance/falls. Neuro PT EDGE recommends (3/4) this outcome measure for the acute, inpatient rehab, home health, and outpatient settings. In the skilled nursing facility, it is unable to be recommended (2/4), but this might be because individuals in this setting have higher levels of disability. The Functional Reach Test is recommended (3/4) for individuals with an EDSS less than 5.5. It is not recommended (1/4) for individuals with an EDSS level greater than 6.0. Students should learn to administer this tool, and this tool has been validated for research with this population.

Currently, there are few psychometrics reported for the Functional Reach Test and the MS population. The reported measures are listed below:

• Inter-rater reliability: ICC=0.89 in a small study with 28 subjects.

• Test-retest reliability: r=0.86-0.92 in a small study with 11 people. I

• Concurrent validity: The Functional Reach Test is correlated with the 5 minute walk test, r=0.65 and 0.79.

Application Video