Article

Objective measures of functional walking remain scarce for
individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI). Hence, the authors
developed the Spinal Cord Injury Functional Ambulation Profile (SCI-FAP), which
encompasses the timed performance of 7 tasks, such as walking and negotiating
obstacles, doors, and stairs. OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability and validity
of the SCI-FAP. METHODS: A total of 32 individuals with ISCI attended 2 testing
sessions separated by 1 to 2 weeks. At the first session, participants performed
the SCI-FAP, the 10-m walk test (10MW), the 6-minute walk test (6MW), and the
Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI II); 3 raters scored the
participants' performances on the SCI-FAP to assess interrater reliability. To
establish convergent validity, SCI-FAP scores were compared with scores on the
10MW, 6MW, and WISCI II. At the second session, participants completed the
SCI-FAP to assess test-retest reliability. To establish discriminative validity,
SCI-FAP scores were compared between participants with ISCI and 60 able-bodied
adults, who were scored on the SCI-FAP in a single session. RESULTS: Internal
consistency (alpha = .95), interrater reliability (intraclass correlation
coefficient [ICC] = 1.00), and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.98) of the
SCI-FAP were high. SCI-FAP scores were moderately correlated with results from
the 10MW (r = -0.59), 6MW (r = -0.59), and WISCI II (M = -0.68). Performance on
the SCI-FAP was significantly poorer among participants with ISCI compared with
their able-bodied counterparts (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the
SCI-FAP as a valid and reliable measure of walking skill for individuals with
ISCI.

Langue : ANGLAIS