Conclusion The Timed Up and Go test has limited ability to predict  falls in community dwelling elderly and should not be used in isolation to identify individuals at high risk of falls in this setting
Background The Timed Up and Go test ( TUG ) is a commonly used screening tool to assist clinicians to identify patients at risk of falling .
The purpose of this systematic review and meta- analysis is to determine the overall predictive value of the TUG in community-dwelling older adults .
Do voluntary step reactions in dual task conditions have an added value over single task for fall prediction? A prospective study
Background and aims : Stepping reactions play a critical role in responding to balance perturbations , whether they are a consequence of external perturbation or self-induced in nature . The aim of the present study was to determine prospect ively the capacity of voluntary stepping performance in single and dual-task conditions , to predict future falls among older community-dwelling persons . We also aim ed to assess whether dual task conditions have an added value over single tasks for fall prediction . Methods : A total of 100 healthy old volunteers ( mean age 78.4±5.7 yrs ) , from two self-care protected retirement homes for older adults , performed the Voluntary Step Execution Test in single- and dual-task conditions as a reaction time task while st and ing on a single force platform . Step initiation , preparatory and swing phases , and foot-contact time were extracted from data on center of pressure and ground reaction force . One-year fall incidences were monitored . Results : Ninety-eight subjects completed the one-year follow-up , 49 non-fallers , 32 one-time fallers , and 17 recurrent fallers ( two or more falls ) . Recurrent fallers had significantly slower voluntary step execution times in both single- and dual-task conditions , especially due to a slower preparation phase . Two stepwise ( backward ) logistic regression models showed that longer step execution times have strong predictive value for falls in both single- and dual-task conditions ( odds ratio ( OR ) 8.7 and 5.4 , respectively , p<0.05 ) . Conclusions : Voluntary Step Execution Test in both single- and dual-task conditions is a simple and safe examination which can potentially and effectively predict future falls , with no added value to dual- over single-task condition
Conclusion The Timed Up and Go test has limited ability to predict  falls in community dwelling elderly and should not be used in isolation to identify individuals at high risk of falls in this setting
Background The Timed Up and Go test ( TUG ) is a commonly used screening tool to assist clinicians to identify patients at risk of falling .
The purpose of this systematic review and meta- analysis is to determine the overall predictive value of the TUG in community-dwelling older adults .