| Summary: | [Purpose] This study investigated the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest
reliability of the sideways step test (SST), its correlation with other indicators of
stroke-specific impairment, and the cut-off count best discriminating subjects with stroke
from their healthy counterparts. [Subjects and Methods] Forty-three subjects with chronic
stroke and 41 healthy subjects older than 50 years participated in this study. The SST was
administered along with the Fugl-Meyer motor assessment for the lower extremities
(FMA-LE), the five-times sit to stand (5TSTS) test, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the
movement velocity (MVL) by the limits of stability (LOS) test, the ten-metre walk (10mW)
test, the timed “Up and Go” (TUG) test and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence
(ABC) scale. [Results] The SST showed good to excellent intra-rater, inter-rater and
test-retest reliability. The SST counts correlated with 5TSTS times, 10mW times, TUG
times, and the FMA-LE and BBS scores. SST counts of 11 for the paretic leg and 14 for the
non-paretic leg were found to distinguish the healthy adults from subjects with stroke.
[Conclusion] The sideways step test is a reliable clinical test, which correlates with the
functional strength, gait speed, and functional balance of people with chronic stroke.
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