All the clinimetrics tools you need!

A very useful list with all the clinimetrics tools you need for your assessment. It is in Dutch, but you will understand it..!

I have also created one different one here in English.

PAR-Q - The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire

The physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) is a self-screening tool that can be used by anyone who is planning to start an exercise program. It is often used by fitness trainers or coaches to determine the safety or possible risk of exercising for an individual based upon their answers to specific health history questions.

The PAR-Q was created by the British Columbia Ministry of Health and the Multidisciplinary Board on Exercise. This form was adopted directly from the ACSM Standards and Guidelines for Health and Fitness Facilities.

The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire

Being physically active is very safe for most people. Some people, however, should check with their doctors before they increase their current level of activity. The PAR-Q has been designed to identify the small number of adults for whom physical activity may be inappropriate or those who should have medical advice concerning the type of activity most suitable for them.

If you answered yes to one or more questions, are older than age 40 and have been inactive or are concerned about your health, consult a physician before taking a fitness test or substantially increasing your physical activity. You should ask for a medical clearance along with information about specific exercise limitations you may have.

In most cases, you will still be able to do any type of activity you want as long as you adhere to some guidelines.

The Functional Movement Screen

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is the product of an exercise philosophy known as Functional Movement Systems. This exercise philosophy and corresponding set of resources is based on sound science, years of innovation, and current research.

» How it Works - Simplifying Movement

Put simply, the FMS is a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns that are key to normal function. By screening these patterns, the FMS readily identifies functional limitations and asymmetries. These are issues that can reduce the effects of functional training and physical conditioning and distort body awareness.

The FMS generates the Functional Movement Screen Score, which is used to target problems and track progress. This scoring system is directly linked to the most beneficial corrective exercises to restore mechanically sound movement patterns.

Exercise professionals monitor the FMS score to track progress and to identify those exercises that will be most effective to restore proper movement and build strength in each individual.

» What it Does - Widespread Benefits

The FMS simplifies the concept of movement and its impact on the body. Its streamlined system has benefits for everyone involved - individuals, exercise professionals, and physicians.

Communication - The FMS utilizes simple language, making it easy for individuals, exercise professionals, and physicians to communicate clearly about progress and treatment.

Evaluation - The screen effortlessly identifies asymmetries and limitations, diminishing the need for extensive testing and analysis.

Standardization - The FMS creates a functional baseline to mark progress and provides a means to measure performance.

Safety - The FMS quickly identifies dangerous movement patterns so that they can be addressed. It also indicates an individual’s readiness to perform exercise so that realistic goals can be set and achieved.

Corrective Strategies - The FMS can be applied at any fitness level, simplifying corrective strategies of a wide array of movement issues. It identifies specific exercises based on individual FMS scores to instantly create customized treatment plans.

Clinimetrics_1

These are all the clinimetrics tool we (students) used during our 1st year of studies in the European School of Physiotherapy of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, summarized in a simple way:

pain

> Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

> Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)

strength & RoM

> Medical Research Council scale (MRC)

> Hand Held Dynamometer

> Repetition Maximum and Oddvar Holten diagram

> Goniometry & the Neutral-0 Method

cardiovascular & respiratory

> 6-Minutes Walk Test (6MWT)

> Borg Scale (Borg)
> Modified Borg Scale (m-Borg)

> Astrand Bike Test (Astrand)

> Harvard Step Test (Harvard)

> Bruce Treadmill Test (Bruce)

> Spirometry (SPR)

> Shuttle Walk Test (SWT)
> Dyspnea Scale (Dyspnea)
> Angina Pectoris Scale (Angina)
> MET method (MET)
> Specific Activity Scale (SAS)
> MRC breathlessness scale (br-MRC)
> Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ)
> Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ)
> St. George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ)
> QoL for Respiratory Illness Questionnaire (QoLRIQ)

functional

> Functional Independence Measure (FIM)

> Barthel Index (Barthel)

> Neck Disability Index (NDI)

> Daily Diary

psychological & questionnaires

> Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS)

> Short Form Health Survey (SF36)

> 4-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ)

> Tampascale (Tampa)
> Evaluating Relaxation Instruction

orthopedics

> Single Leg Hop Test (SLHT)

> 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT)

> Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT)

> Berg Balance Scale (BBS)
> Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain Questionnaire (ICOAP)
> Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS)
> Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)
> Algofunctional Index (AFI)
> Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC)
> Stand on one leg-Test (one-Leg)
> Tightrope Walker's Gait

general condition

> Body Mass Index (BMI)

neurologic

> Trunk Control Test (TCT)

The Shuttle Walk Test (SWT)

The purpose of this test is to see how far and fast you can walk (without stopping for a rest) by following a series of time signals.

You can find a nice brief description of the test here.

The six-minute walk test (6MWT)

Measurement of exercise capacity is an integral element in assessment of patients with cardiopulmonary disease. The 6-min walk test (6MWT) provides information regarding functional capacity, response to therapy and prognosis across a range of chronic cardiopulmonary conditions. A distance less than 350 m is associated with increased mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

source: PubMed

You can find a very brief explanation of the 6MWT here.

In addition, some very useful guidelines on how to perform the test are here.

Schober & Ott test for thoracic and lumbar spine RoM

In the method of Schober & Ott, the patient stands erect while the examiner marks the S1 spinous process and a second point 10 cm higher. Regarding the thoracic spine, the examiner marks the C7 spinous process and a second point 30 cm lower (1st figure).

Then the examiner asks the patient to bend as forward as possible and measures the distance between the points again (2nd figure). A normal range of motion (RoM) at the lumbar spine will result in an increased distance of about 15 cm (+5 cm). A normal RoM at the thoracic spine will result in an increased distance of about 38 cm (+8).

Following the same logic, extension in both thoracic and lumbar spine can be assessed (3rd figure).

An alternative method is to measure the smallest finger-to-floor distance with the knees extended.

The UK FIM+FAM (Functional Assessment Measure)

The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is an 18-item global measure of disability. Each item is scored on 7 ordinal levels. The FIM can be used for measuring disability in a wide range of conditions. The Functional Assessment Measure does not stand alone but adds 12 FAM items to the FIM, specifically addressing cognitive and psychosocial function, which are often the major limiting factors for outcome in brain injury. Hence the Functional Assessment Measure is abbreviated to (FIM+FAM) FAM items are rated on the same 7-level scale as the FIM items although the scaling structure of the FIM does not always lend itself to the more abstract nature of the FAM items.

You can find more information about these methods by visiting the link below:

source: The British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine

Rehabilitation Measures Database

An online tool for clinimetrics and assessment test values. What you can do here is to search for a specific clinimetrics tool, for instance 6 Minutes Walk Test, and find a short description for it and how it can be used together with some really useful documents. An amazing online tool for every Physical Therapist.