10m Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT)
The 10m multi-stage fitness test is an aerobic fitness test designed to assess functional capacity of patieints with COPD. This test is a variation of the 20m beep test. See also the similar 10m Beep Test for children with cerebral palsy (CP), and also other beep test variations.
- equipment required: Flat, non-slip surface, marking cones, measuring tape, pre-recorded CD or audiotape (can be created using the team beep test software)
- procedure: The cones are placed 9 meters apart. Patients walk a path around the two cones so that the walked distance is about 10 meters. The walking pace increases incrementally each minute. The test continues until the subject is unable to keep in time with the recording. There are 12 levels of speed beginning at 0.50 m/s and ending at 2.37m/s. The test is measured in meters and no encouragement is provided.
- variations: See also the similar 10m Beep Test for children with cerebral palsy (CP)
- scoring: The athlete's score is the total distance walked in meters.
| level | speed (m/s) | time per shuttle (s) | no. of shuttles in level | total distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.50 | 20.00 | 3 | 30 |
| 2 | 0.67 | 15.00 | 4 | 70 |
| 3 | 0.84 | 12.00 | 5 | 120 |
| 4 | 1.01 | 10.00 | 6 | 180 |
| 5 | 1.18 | 8.57 | 7 | 250 |
| 6 | 1.35 | 7.50 | 8 | 330 |
| 7 | 1.52 | 6.67 | 9 | 420 |
| 8 | 1.69 | 6.00 | 10 | 520 |
| 9 | 1.86 | 5.46 | 11 | 630 |
| 10 | 2.03 | 5.00 | 12 | 750 |
| 11 | 2.20 | 4.62 | 13 | 880 |
| 12 | 2.37 | 4.29 | 14 | 1020 |
- target population: the test was designed for patients with pulmonary disease, though it can be used on a wide range of patients with varying severity of disability.
- disadvantages: As with all beep type tests, practice and motivation levels can influence the score attained, and the scoring can be subjective.
- advantages: simple test requiring limited equipment.
- references:
- Singh SJ, Morgan MDL, Scott S, et al. Development of a shuttle walking test of disability in patients with chronic airways obstruction. Thorax 1992;47:1019-24
- Singh SJ, Morgan MDL, Hardman AE, et al. Comparison of oxygen uptake during a conventional treadmill test and the shuttle walk test in chronic airflow limitation. Eur Respir J 1994;7:2016-20.
- Revill SM, Morgan MDL, Singh SJ, Williams J, Hardman AE. The endurance shuttle walk: a new field test for the assessment of endurance capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thorax. 1999;54:213-222.
- Fowler SJ, Singh SJ, Revill SM. Reproducibility and validity of the incremental shuttle walking test for patients following coronary artery bypass surgery. Physiotherapy. 2005;91:22-27