Walking Ability Outcome Measures in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review

This review examines how walking ability is measured in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). It looks at different tests and scales used by doctors and therapists. The goal is to understand which measurement tools are best for accurately assessing walking function after an SCI. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each measure, clinicians can choose the most appropriate tools for evaluating patients and tracking their progress during rehabilitation.

• 1
  Thirteen different walking ability outcome measures were identified and grouped into categories, including multivariate walking metrics, spatiotemporal-related walking/balance measures, categorical measures of ambulation and balance measures.
• 2
  The Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI) is the walking ability outcome measure which has psychometric properties that are the most assessed, while the Gait Profile Score (GPS) is the least.
• 3
  The authors suggest combining several metrics, without redundancy, to provide a global assessment of walking function.