Falcon Clinic

Lakelands Clinic

Have you ever wondered how long you might live⁉️ A Brazilian physician Claudio Gil Araujo designed a test which was validated and published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology called the sit-down-stand-up test. This test predicts your longevity, or more accurately your chance of dying in the next 6 years. Confronting yes? But look at it like this – if you score poorly, you still have time to improve your health and improve your longevity and quality of life. The trial was conducted with 2002 men and women aged between 51 and 80, who were then followed over the next 6.3 years.

The test is actually testing your functional strength, balance and conditioning – all areas of health that are critical to daily function, preventing falls and maintaining an active lifestyle. As I’ve mentioned previously, a hip fracture caused by a fall predicts death within a year in 90% of cases. So – what is the test exactly? Stand with 2 feet together, sit down onto the floor without using your hands on the floor on your body, and then stand up – again without using your hands to help or any other body part touching the ground. The easiest technique is to cross your feet in standing and lower into a cross-legged position.

I’m going to do a demo on facebook live on Monday – tune in to watch (if you don’t have facebook, we’ll also add the video to our website blog page). The score is out of 10, 5 points max for the sitting and 5 points max for the standing. You lose 1 point each time you use a hand to boost or balance, or touching the floor. You lose half a point for each wobble/loss of fluidity of movement. The results: If you score between 8 and 10, you can predict longevity. If you score between 3 and 8 you are twice as likely to die in the next 6 years than those scoring over 8 points. If you score under 3 points you are 5 times more likely to die within 6 years. Don’t freak out if you scored less than 8! This is just giving you a wake-up call that you need to improve your strength, conditioning and balance in order to stay healthy.

This is something that we can help with – call or email us and request a sarcopenia (muscle strength, function and balance) assessment and we’ll get you started on a 10-week strengthening program that you can do at home. Yours in Health, Shelley and The Lakelands Physio Team

PS. If you don’t feel safe trying this test – don’t. We have other tests that we can use to safely test out your current functional strength. Ask for a sarcopenia assessment and we’ll tailor it to your level. PPS. This test was designed for people in the age group of 51 to 80. If you are younger than 51, the test result is not as accurate – but if you score low, still predicts poor functional strength and requires further assessment.

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