Six-Minute Walk Testing

Abstract

The six minute walk (6MW) is a test of functional exercise performance which simply involves measuring the distance a patient can walk on a level course in the specified period of time. This tool is increasingly being applied to many disease categories to assess functional status and to assess outcome following intervention. Advantages of this tool include its minimal technical requirements, ease of execution by even severely debilitated patients, good reproducibility, and correlation with maximal exercise testing and functional status questionnaires. Disadvantages include the lack of detailed physiologic data obtained relative to maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing and the lack of standardization in methodology. Methodological differences which frequently prevent reliable comparison between centers include: the number of practice walks, the intensity of encouragement, the characteristics of the walking track, and the provision of supplemental oxygen to patients.

Key Words:

Emphysema - walk test - exercise testing