Timed Up and Go test · TUG
Purpose
Use this test to see how easily your client stands, walks and turns. You time them as they rise from a chair, walk 3 metres, turn, walk back and sit down.
Podsiadlo and Richardson introduced the timed version in 1991 for frail older adults. The CDC uses it in STEADI to screen older adults for fall risk.
Procedure
- Preparation
- Mark a line on the floor 3 metres (10 feet) from an arm chair. Your client wears their usual shoes and can use a walking aid if they need one. Always stay by your client for safety.
- Equipment
- Chair with arms, a 3 m walkway and a stopwatch
Sit back
Your client sits back in the chair.
Stand and walk
Say “Go” and start the stopwatch. Your client stands up and walks to the line at their normal pace.
Turn and return
They turn at the line, walk back to the chair at their normal pace and sit down again.
Stop the time
Stop the stopwatch once your client is sitting back down.
Scoring
The score is the time from “Go” until your client sits back down, in seconds to one decimal.
Interpretation
The CDC gives one cut-off for older adults. The calculator shows the time without a label.
Reference values
| Time | CDC |
|---|---|
| 12 seconds or more | At risk for falling |
Sources
- CDC STEADI: Timed Up & Go assessmentDirections, instructions, observations and the 12-second cut-off.
- Podsiadlo and Richardson: the timed “Up & Go”, a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons (1991)Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 39(2):142–148. The original timed test, in 60 patients of a geriatric day hospital.
Sources checked by SoloTrainer.net · 25 Sep