Six-Minute Walk Test in Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy and Children Developing Typically

Abstract

To quantify the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) functioning at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to III and to compare with a sample of children with typical development (TD). A total of 145 children with CP and 137 children with TD completed the 6MWT. Mean 6MWT scores were 439.57 ± 49.81 m for children functioning at GMFCS level I (n = 74), 386.74 ± 66.47 m for GMFCS level II (n = 53), 305.28 ± 66.95 m for GMFCS level III (n = 18), and 528.42 ± 67.77 m for children with TD (n = 137). Results of a pair-wise comparison showed significant differences (P < .001) between 6MWT scores of children with CP across GMFCS levels I to III and children with TD. A range of 6-minute walk distance reference values for children with spastic CP and children with TD were established.