Blackground: Parkinson disease (PD), is a movement disorder, so physical assessment should be a key component in the diagnosis of individuals suffering from this disease. There is a neeed to assess the utility of some motor tests in PD, specially those which include assessment of straight line walking and turning.
Objective: This pilot study aimed to asses the utility of the “8-foot up and go” test as a physical performance measurement in PD, as well as the relationship between functional mobility and quality of life in this population.
Material and Methods: Twenty-four patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease volunteered and finished the study. They performed the “8 foot up-and-go” test and answered the 9-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire.
Results: The motor test’s total score correlated significantly with different sub-scales of the 9-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire, especially with the mobility sub-scale and with the total score.
Conclusions: The “8 foot up-and-go” test is useful and easy to perform by Parkinson’s disease patients and it has turned out to be a clear indicator of the way the illness affects their quality of life.
