Reference Values for the Six-minute Pegboard and Ring Test in Healthy Adults in Turkey
Condition: Exercise Tolerance
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Supported or unsupported arm activities are widely used in all activities of daily living. 6
      PBRT is a valid, reliable, useful, practical and easy-to-apply test that evaluates unassisted
      arm endurance in patients with COPD, asthmatics, and healthy individuals. Studies have
      recently been conducted showing reference values for 6 PBRT in various populations. 6
      Normative values and reference range for PBRT are not available for various ethnicities,
      including the Turkish population. Therefore, this study aimed to find reference values for 6
      PBRT in the Turkish young and middle-aged individuals.
    

Detailed description: 
      Supported or unassisted arm activities are widely used for all activities of daily living.
      They contribute greatly to performing both simple and complex daily tasks such as brushing,
      shaving, combing their hair, washing dishes or putting food on shelves; meanwhile, trapezius,
      pectoralis minor, scalene and intercostal muscles assist arm positioning.

      Many studies; It has confirmed that patients with COPD have reduced arm exercise capacity and
      often experience notable dyspnoea (shortness of breath) and fatigue during arm tasks
      important to daily living. Two mechanisms have been suggested underlying this:
      neuromechanical dysfunction of the respiratory muscles (diaphragm and accessory respiratory
      muscles) (thoracoabdominal asynchrony) and changes in lung volume during activities involving
      the upper extremities. During arm exercise, accessory respiratory muscles are used for arm
      function and cannot contribute to respiration. This increases the respiratory load of the
      mechanically disadvantaged diaphragm and results in thoracoabdominal synchrony and severe
      dyspnea. Since the muscles that move the arm and stabilize the trunk are attached to the rib
      cage, they increase the resistance of the chest wall and limit the ability to increase tidal
      volume during arm activities. These disturbances in ventilatory mechanics result in
      termination of arm exercise in patients with COPD at lower workloads compared to healthy
      subjects.

      The '6 Minute Pegboard and Ring Test-6PRT' is a valid and reliable, useful, practical and
      easy-to-apply test that evaluates unassisted arm endurance in COPD patients, asthmatic
      patients and healthy individuals. For the test, patients are asked to carry as many rings as
      possible within 6 minutes and the number of rings carried during 6 minutes is recorded as a
      score.

      In a study conducted in patients with mild to very severe COPD, a positive correlation was
      shown between the 6PRT score and the activity counts evaluated by accelerometer. In addition,
      it was determined that the 6PRT score showed a clear relationship with the upper extremity
      ADL, and it was concluded that the 6PRT test could be used as an appropriate test for
      estimating and demonstrating the improvement of ADL in pulmonary rehabilitation programs.

      Studies have recently been published showing reference values for 6PBRT in Brazilian and
      Indian populations. In one of the results, a correlation was found between the score value
      and age, showing that younger individuals were able to move more rings than the older group.
      In addition, a weak correlation was found between the test score and the level of physical
      activity. Normative values and reference range for 6PBRT are not available for various
      ethnicities, including the Turkish adults. Therefore, in this study; It is aimed to find
      reference values for the 6PBRT test in the Turkish adults.
    

Observational model: Other
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Healthy people aged 20-65 years
      
Keywords: Upper extremity exercise test; six-minute peg board and ring test; exercise tolerance