Reliability and Validity of the Six-Minute Arm Test for the Evaluation of Cardiovascular Fitness in People With Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract Hol AT, Eng JJ, Miller WC, Sproule S, Krassioukov AV. Reliability and validity of the six-minute arm test for the evaluation of cardiovascular fitness in people with spinal cord injury. Objectives To design a submaximal arm ergometry test (six-minute arm test [6-MAT]), for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to determine the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of this test. Design Prospective, exploratory, methodologic study. To determine test-retest reliability, subjects completed the 6-MAT on 2 days, separated by 1 week. Validity was determined by comparing 6-MAT results with peak oxygen consumption (V o2 peak). Setting Tertiary rehabilitation center. Participants Thirty subjects with SCI (mean age, 36.3y; 83% male). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Subjects were evaluated on the 6-MAT and a V o2 peak test. Results All subjects were able to complete the 6-MAT. Test-retest reliability of steady-state oxygen consumption (V̇ o2 ) and heart rate during the 6-MAT were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], .81; 95% confidence interval [CI], .58–.92; ICC=.90; 95% CI, .75–.96, respectively). The correlation between V o2 peak and 6-MAT V̇ o2 was excellent ( r =.92) and the correlations between V o2 peak and 6-MAT heart rate ( r =.63) and V o2 peak and 6-MAT power output ( r =.73) were good. Conclusions This study showed that the 6-MAT has acceptable values for test-retest reliability and validity. The 6-MAT should be further tested for responsiveness to enhance its use as a clinical tool.