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Crafty Cow

10 meter timed walk

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Crafty Cow

Happy Sunday everyone!

 

Hope everyone has had a good weekend.

 

Just a quick question.....I had a whirlwind consultation this morning that lasted all about five minutes. During that I had the timed ten metre walking test. Could anyone shine any light on that for me please?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Sam x


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Mal

Not heard anything about a timed ten meter walk .....only walks ive done

when seeing a neuro is about five steps , seen two neoros plus two registrars

and walking wise , thats all they have had me do.


Edited by Mal
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Lindylou

Hi Sam, Likewise I`ve never heard of being timed whilst walking. I saw my neuro last month and all he asked me to do was take a few steps just the same as Mal described. Maybe someone else will come along who has had the same experience. Seems a bit strange to me but there are so many changes going on at the moment ie with testing for benefits etc so who knows what is going on these days. Hope you get your answer. Linda x

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Rama

My experience is the same as Mal and Linda. Did they do any other tests?

Hope someone else can shed some light on it for you?

Gill x

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Crafty Cow

Nope, no other tests, perhaps he was trying to find the best of the worst for the next sheffield run? Lol xxx

 

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Sluggish
Marina

I once had a physio do a timed walk, I'd guess it was about 10 metres. She drove me nuts with it though, as she kept counting - very, very, fast - which made me feel I had to walk way faster than I normally do. By the time I'd finished it, I not only felt worn out from this super fast walking but in pain (from my spinal problems)... I didn't go back to her... :stars:

 

Unfortunately, I've no idea why she did the timed walk!

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Marina

(belated DX in June '05, SPMS)

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Rama

Hi.

I was thinking a bit more about this timed walk last night. Perhaps it is some way of measuring your condition - whether you are improving or deteriorating. They record your result and next time you see the consultant do the same test and compare results.

 

I was reading some posts by the members who are on the Tysabri trials and they seemed to have to do a similar test.

 

Personally I think tests like this are not much good. Us MSers have good days and bad days. A poor test result may simply because you are having a bad day, or feeling tired. Not necessarily an indication that your condition has progressed.

 

Anyway - just a thought.

 

Gill x

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lala

Hi Sam

 

Bit of a guess here (shocking I know!) but maybe it was to give you a score on the Expanded Disability Status Scale ( EDSS) ??

 

Laura x

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Crafty Cow

I thought that too Laura, but like Gill said its a bit useless when you have good and bad days. Luckily, yesterday was a bad day, but that didn't phase him one iota. He did it with the lady before me too, she was on DMDs though. It's a horrible test, because you have to walk past people sitting there and they all sit staring. Like being on a cat walk for the disabled fashion awards lol.


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lala

Yes Gill is right, it makes very little sense given the changeable nature of MS. However i suppose they have to measure us somehow even if it often fluctuates. I am surprised that he asked you to do it in front of other patients, seems a little insensitive :-(

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Nick

I have done timed walks for the physiotherapist which were not specific to MS and record the level of physical ability at the time of the test. This is one aspect of having a complex disability such as MS that is easy to have mixed feelings about. However in my experience health professionals are in a difficult position. Standardised form filling is a useful tool but there is a big difference between having the knowledge and experience to gauge a persons capabilities and gaining useful information from such a basic test. I now recognise when I come across somebody who understands my condition. You must remember that you are not there to prove anything! The specialist is doing their best to 'keep you going' which must be what we all want.

Exercise and walking (all be it, badly, slowly, stumbling or day's when you can't) is very important and learning to keep going while staying inside your capabilities is paramount in MS Management.

All that is very different from any politically motivated testing regimes designed simply to cut benefit costs. The doctor or specialist has a duty of confidentiality and is also being placed in a very difficult position if asked to give an assessment based on such sources. It can also be very damaging to us if we feel we have to explain ourselves and the results of tests which don't show the whole picture. You do need to work hard all the time with your MS to avoid the mental pitfalls and dangers of feeling that you need to show anybody just how 'able' or 'unable' you are. Remember that formal diagnosis of MS places you specifically into a 'disability' category, meaning there is no need of any explanations and as many of us know the range of disability from MS is wide and variable.

In other words don't worry about it!

 

Nick


Edited by Nick

Just another Warrior...........

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