Effect of seat height and turning direction on the timed up and go test scores of people after stroke

OBJECTIVE: To identify the effect of chair seat height and turning direction on the Timed Up and Go scores of patients after stroke. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: A geriatric day hospital in Hong Kong. SUBJECTS: Twenty-five patients with sub-acute stroke. METHODS: The time taken to complete the Timed Up and Go test with various chair seat heights (65%, 90% and 115% of each subject's leg length - distance from lateral knee joint line to ground in sitting) and turning directions (toward the affected and unaffected side) was recorded using a stopwatch with randomized test order. RESULTS: There were significant differences in Timed Up and Go scores between the 3 levels of chair seat height (p < 0.001), with the lowest Timed Up and Go scores recorded when the seat height was 115% of the subject's leg length and the highest at a seat height of 65% of the subject's leg length. Turning toward the affected side was found to be significantly quicker than turning toward the unaffected side (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Chair seat height and turning direction significantly influence the Timed Up and Go scores of patients after sub-acute stroke. Optimizing chair seat height with reference to subject's leg length and turning direction is essential when using the Timed Up and Go test as an outcome measure in stroke rehabilitation.