Trunk Control Test as an Early Predictor of Stroke Rehabilitation Outcome

Background and Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the construct and predictive validity of the Trunk Control Test (TCT) in postacute stroke patients by comparing TCT scores at admission and discharge with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores. Methods Forty-nine patients participated in the study. The TCT examines four movements: rolling from a supine position to the weak side (T1) and to the strong side (T2), sitting up from a lying-down position (T3), and sitting balance (T4). The FIM is an 18-item scale (13 motor [motFIM] and 5 cognitive [cognFIM]) used to determine the level of dependence of patients in daily life. Results Thirty-six patients (73%) increased their TCT overall score at discharge. The TCT item-total correlations were high, both at admission and discharge (P<.0001). The individual TCT items were intercorrelated. Furthermore, the homogeneity of the TCT was confirmed by a high Cronbach’s index. High correlations were found between admission and discharge scores in ...