Shamay S. M. Ng, Chistina W.Y. Hui-Chan
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (SAR), China
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-1154

Objective: To determine the relationships between affected ankle dorsiflexion strength, other ankle muscle strength measurements, plantarflexor spasticity, and Timed “Up & Go” (TUG) times in people with spastic hemiplegia after stroke.
Design: A cross-sectional study.
Setting: A university-based rehabilitation centre.
Participants: Seventy-three subjects with spastic hemiplegia.
Main outcome measures: Functional mobility was assessed using TUG times. Plantarflexor spasticity was measured using the Composite Spasticity Scale. Affected and unaffected ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion strength were recorded using a load-cell mounted on a foot support with the knee bent at 50º and subjects in supine lying.
Results: TUG times demonstrated strong negative correlation with affected ankle dorsiflexion strength (r = –0. 67, p ≤ 0. 001) and weak negative correlations with other ankle muscle strength measurements (r = –0. 28 to –0. 31, p ≤ 0. 05), but no significant correlation with plantarflexor spasticity. A linear regression model showed that affected ankle dorsiflexion strength was independently associated with TUG times and accounted for 27. 5% of the variance. The whole model explained 47. 5% of the variance in TUG times.
Conclusion: Affected ankle dorsiflexion strength is a crucial component in determining the TUG performance, which is thought to reflect functional mobility in subjects with spastic hemiplegia.