The Safe Functional Motion test is reliable for assessment of functional movements in individuals at risk for osteoporotic fracture

Abstract

The Safe Functional Motion (SFM) test is a performance-based tool developed to assess functional movements in individuals at risk for osteoporotic fracture. The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the scores on the short form of the SFM test (SFM-SF). A secondary objective was to evaluate the construct convergent validity of the balance domain. Community-dwelling adults with low bone mass (n = 36) completed the SFM-SF on two occasions. During one visit, SFM-SF performance was scored by two testers and additional tests of balance (Timed Up and Go (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BERG), and Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CBMS)) were completed. Test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the SFM-SF score is excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient >or= 0.90), and the balance domain score demonstrates acceptable associations with established clinical measures of balance (Spearman's rho = -0.69, 0.76, and 0.83 for TUG, BERG, and CBMS, respectively). SFM-SF provides reliable measures of functional movements in community-dwelling individuals at risk for osteoporotic fracture.