Get on the floor…and get back up
When was the last time you were on the floor? Could you easily get back up?
Floor transfers are a great comprehensive pulse check of mobility, stability, and overall strength for ALL ages. Be proactive by grading where you are with the sitting-rising test (SRT), instead of being surprised when you struggle to get up off the floor after gardening; wrapping presents; playing with your kids, grandkids, pets; or performing whatever movement is meaningful to you!
Sitting-Rising Test (SRT)
An objective way to grade how your body is moving.
Instructions:
While barefoot, in comfortable clothing, ‘without worrying about the speed of the movement, try to sit & then to rise from the floor, using the least support that you believe is needed’.
Grading
separately score the transfer to the floor & rising from the floor on a scale of 0-5 with a highest possible score of 10
starting from 5, one point is subtracted for each support utilized i.e. for each hand, forearm, knee, or side of the leg or foot used. Additional 0.5 point is subtracted if the evaluator notices an unsteady execution (partial loss of balance) during them movement
a score of 10 indicates the ability to sit & to rise from the floor without using any support or presenting instability
Facts & Figures:
a score of 10 is the most frequently seen in men aged 16 to 25 years old & in women aged 16 to 40 years old
less than 8% of men and women aged > 55 years old achieved a composite score of 10
Why is it important?
Lower performance is strongly associated with all-cause mortality in subjects aged 51 to 80 years. Although this is correlation & not causation, in our expert opinion, your ability to move with ease is definitely associated with a higher quality of life.
Check out the study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology here.
Didn’t perform as we well as you would have liked?
Try some of these strength and mobility exercises:
lunges
squats
bridges
figure 4 stretch
hamstring stretch
runners lunge stretch
*As these are generalized recommendations, for specifics for what your body needs or if limited by pain then consult with a Physical Therapist.
Does a floor transfer sound daunting to you?
Instead, see how quickly you can perform 5 sit to stands from a chair without using your hands & consult with a Physical Therapist to guide you to improved movement!
5 Time Sit to Stand Test Norms for Elderly Community Dwelling Adults:
60-69 11.4 seconds
70-79 12.6 seconds
80-89 12.7 seconds
Is a floor transfer too easy?
Great job! Keep moving & kick up the floor transfer with loaded Turkish Get-Ups.
Unrestricted movement is our goal for you & why we incorporate floor work into our physical therapy treatment, fitness sessions, & why we use floor transfers as one of our measures for our preventative annual movement examinations.
Keep moving towards your Meaningful Movement, hit the floor, & get low as our friend Flo Rida says! 😉
