Measures of physical performance assessments: Self‐Paced Walk Test (SPWT), Stair Climb Test (SCT), Six‐Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Chair Stand Test (CST), Timed Up & Go (TUG), Sock Test, Lift and Carry Test (LCT), and Car Task

In this review, clinical physical performance measures (PPMs) that relate directly to people with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA) (1), yet are also relevant for other rheumatic conditions that affect the lower extremity, are evaluated. This information is complementary and an update to some of the measures of adult general performance presented in the special issue of Arthritis Care & Research in 2003 (2). In the current review, PPMs are defined as clinician-observed measures of physical function that assess a task that can be classified as “activities” using the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model (3). They do not include measures that are specific tests of body structure, body function, or impairments, e.g., specific measures of strength or balance. Physical function is related to “the ability to move around” (4) and “the ability to perform daily activities” (5) and is assessed directly by an observer while the activity is being performed by an individual, usually by timing, counting, or distance measures. PPMs measure what an individual can do rather than what the individual perceives they can do as in self-reported functional measures (5). The selection of PPMs for this review was based on the following criteria: 1) clinical (field) tests: PPMs were selected if they were readily available, required portable or no equipment, and could be conducted within the clinical setting; 2) relevant to core activities commonly impaired in people with OA: a range of PPMs was selected to reflect the ICF activities most relevant to individuals with lower extremity OA, including walking and moving (ICF d450– 69), changing and maintaining body position (ICF d410– 29), climbing (ICF d4551), and carrying, moving, and handling objects (ICF d430–49); 3) current trends: PPMs that have been included in a performance battery for lower extremity OA were targeted to reflect current trends and recommendations in recent literature (a performance battery is a composite of a number of individual PPMs grouped together); and 4) most commonly cited: PPMs for individuals with OA that were most commonly cited in a literature search were given priority over those less frequently cited. A computerized literature search using Medline, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane was performed. Key terms were mapped to medical subject headings terms: osteoarthritis (hip and knee), task performance and analysis, observation, physical examination, walking or mobility limitations, physical fitness, physical functioning or disability evaluation, and performancebased measures.