For those of you that have been to see me in my practice will know that I am a big believer in functional movement, movement patterns, flexibility etc. I am also interested in simple ways to test general movement,
flexibility, coordination and so on. I came across some interesting Brazilian research recently. They have
developed a simple screening test of musculoskeletal fitness, called the Sitting-Rising Test (SRT). This test, put simply, is your ability to sit and then rise off the ground. Their research indicates that this test may predict your longevity in the next 5-6 years.
flexibility, coordination and so on. I came across some interesting Brazilian research recently. They have
developed a simple screening test of musculoskeletal fitness, called the Sitting-Rising Test (SRT). This test, put simply, is your ability to sit and then rise off the ground. Their research indicates that this test may predict your longevity in the next 5-6 years.
The SRT, which is designed to be used for middle-aged and elderly adults, involves a score of 0-5 for each movement (sitting down and then getting up) with a combined score of 10 being the best result. To score a 10 you must be able to sit and rise from the floor without any assistance from your hands or knees. For each body part that you need to use for support you take off a point. For example, if when you are sitting, you have to put one hand on the floor to stop falling and then when you get up you need to use one hand and one knee,
you will take off 3 points and therefore your total score will be 7. A video of the test can be seen here.
So what did the research show? what do the numbers mean?
The numbers correlated strongly with the participant’s risk of death during the study period of 6 years. For each unit increase in SRT score, participants gained a 21% improvement in survival.
“It’s a measure of your fitness at the most basic level, testing not only muscular strength but also flexibility, balance and motor coordination. All of these attributes are essential for day to day living and for maintaining your independence as you age”.
I suggest you try this test and see how you go, no matter what age you are and let me know the results. I scored a 9, I could get down easily, but just getting the momentum to stand back up was the hard bit for me and I used one hand. I could stand up without support but needed to rock back first and then use momentum to stand up. Let’s see how you go? Don’t be dis-heartened if you do not do very well. Hopefully it will give you some motivation or encouragement to start to make some changes in how well you are functioning. With a wide range of obesity, a lack of exercise and an increasingly sedentary workforce in our society, this type of testing will be become more and more prevalent.
If you are struggling with the test or have a few issues whilst doing it, it may be time to have a proper assessment or have the issue looked at. You can contact us here to find out more.
Resources
Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2012 Dec 13;21(7):892-898
www.escardio.org/about/press/press-releases/pr-12/Pages/ability-to-rise-correlated-mortality.aspx
www.mercola.com
you will take off 3 points and therefore your total score will be 7. A video of the test can be seen here.
So what did the research show? what do the numbers mean?
The numbers correlated strongly with the participant’s risk of death during the study period of 6 years. For each unit increase in SRT score, participants gained a 21% improvement in survival.
- Those who scored who scored 0-3 were 6.5 times more likely to die during the study than those who scored 8-10.
- Those who scored 3-5-5.5 were 3.8 times more likely to die.
- Those who scored 6-7.5 were 1.8 times more likely to die.
“It’s a measure of your fitness at the most basic level, testing not only muscular strength but also flexibility, balance and motor coordination. All of these attributes are essential for day to day living and for maintaining your independence as you age”.
I suggest you try this test and see how you go, no matter what age you are and let me know the results. I scored a 9, I could get down easily, but just getting the momentum to stand back up was the hard bit for me and I used one hand. I could stand up without support but needed to rock back first and then use momentum to stand up. Let’s see how you go? Don’t be dis-heartened if you do not do very well. Hopefully it will give you some motivation or encouragement to start to make some changes in how well you are functioning. With a wide range of obesity, a lack of exercise and an increasingly sedentary workforce in our society, this type of testing will be become more and more prevalent.
If you are struggling with the test or have a few issues whilst doing it, it may be time to have a proper assessment or have the issue looked at. You can contact us here to find out more.
Resources
Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2012 Dec 13;21(7):892-898
www.escardio.org/about/press/press-releases/pr-12/Pages/ability-to-rise-correlated-mortality.aspx
www.mercola.com
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