<p>During the past few years there has been an observed decrease in physical fitness within different patient groups. As a part of the rehabilitating physiotherapy treatment it is important to acknowledge the physical condition of the patient. Physical fitness testing might be difficult due to physical limitations within different patient groups. A broad range of exercise tests is therefore of importance in clinical practice. The aim of this overview was to describe exercise tests used in rehabilitation contexts, and to define areas of use and restrictions. The method was a systematic literature overview and data was gathered through medical and healthcare databases. Scientific articles were selected and put together to answer the questions in the overview. The result showed that exercise tests mainly described in the literature were tests performed on a bicycle ergometer, treadmill tests and walking tests. The tests were in several cases combined with rating scales. The tests were performed as submaximal or maximal tests to estimate VO<sub>2</sub>max or VO<sub>2</sub>Peak. Exercise testing was commonly used in rehabilitation of cardiac- and vascular diseases, pulmonary diseases and spinal cord injuries. Evaluation of an exercise program was the most common reason for using an exercise test. The question concerning restrictions of the tests could not be answered. The conclusion was that the most common exercise test was performed on a bicycle ergometer. Maximal VO<sub>2</sub>Peak or VO<sub>2</sub>max testing were mainly performed. The most common area for exercise testing was cardiac- and vascular rehabilitation. The most common purpose for performing an exercise test was evaluation of an exercise program. Further research is required in order to describe restrictions and implementations of the tests.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA/oai:DiVA.org:mdh-9472 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Lettstrand, Sofia, Winbo, Malin |
| Publisher | Mälardalen University, School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, School of Health, Care and Social Welfare |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, text |
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