Assessment Overview

Purpose: Assesses mobility, balance, walking ability, and fall risk in older adults; the cognitive and manual versions of the TUG are dual-task dynamic measures for identifying individuals at risk for falls

Equipment: Stopwatch, standard height armchair, glass of water

ICF Category: Activity

Assessment Handout

Assessment Psychometrics

At this time (October 2021), there is is limited psychometric data available specifically on the TUG and its use with individuals with MS. A study by Karlon et al., reported that the TUG was an excellent tool for mobility assessment in individuals with MS. This outcome measure has the potential to monitor disease progression and identify potential MS fallers. While there is a cut-off value for discriminating fallers from non-fallers in the older population, Quinn et al., reported that the TUG and TUG-Cognitive did not demonstrate the utility to discriminate fallers from non-fallers in their sample of 100. Lastly, Hershkovitz et al., found the sit-to-stand transition to be associated with a fear of falling in the MS sample in this study. Also, the cognitive-motor interference during the TUG-Cognitive is not unique to individuals with MS.

The psychometrics that are currently available for individuals with MS on the TUG are reported here. The mean best score in patients with MS=13.9 seconds with a SD of 6.2 seconds. The TUG showed no statistical or clinical significance between fallers and non-fallers with MS. The TUG has been strongly associated with other valid outcome measures of ambulatory mobility (Spearman rank, R=0.71-0.90) and disability status (r=0.80). It has also been moderately correlated with balance confidence (r=0.66). All other data has been generalized from other neurological populations or older adults in the general population.

Instructional Video

Application Video