By Juan José Rodríguez-Juan and Juan Diego Ruiz-Cárdenas @STS_App
APP REVIEW
NAME OF THE MOBILE APPLICATION
Sit to Stand
CATEGORY OF THE MOBILE APPLICATION
Health and Fitness
PLATFORM
Compatible with iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Pro. It requires iOS 10 or later.
COST
4.99 USD; 5,49 €.
ABOUT THE APP
The sit-to-stand (STS) test is a widely accepted physical marker of the functional status in a variety of clinical populations (1-3). Time to complete the STS test is the primary outcome of this test, but leg power and velocity recorded during the test may also detect functional changes that relate to aging or disease.
The STS can be taken out by a clinician and requires expensive laboratory devices such as force platforms, accelerometers, force transducers or motion capture systems, which remain complex, difficult and time consuming to analyse. The ‘Sit to Stand’ Mobile App overcomes these challenges by reporting measurements of leg power, velocity and time in an easy and fast way. The outcomes reported by the STS App can be used by clinicians to detect age-related functional decline and determine functional ability in different populations in their daily life.
The STS App has been scientifically validated twice (4, 5).
USE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Using the camera on a smartphone with the app open, the clinician can record the sagittal plane of a single STS movement and follow instructions provided by the STS App. A clinician can store this video and analyse it using the app by selecting two video frames: one at the beginning and another at the end of the test. Automatically, the App measures the leg power, velocity and time during a single STS, and provides the clinician with the results.
PROS:
- Scientific validity and reliability
- Affordability
- Portability
- Fast and easy analysis
CONS:
- Paid service
- Available only on iOS
- No values of minimal detectable change and minimally clinically important difference are still determined
STS Mobile App screenshot:
References
- Wagner KH, Cameron-Smith D, Wessner B, Franzke B. Biomarkers of Aging: From Function to Molecular Biology. Nutrients. 2016;8(6).
- Bowser B, O’Rourke S, Brown CN, White L, Simpson KJ. Sit-to-stand biomechanics of individuals with multiple sclerosis. Clinical biomechanics. 2015;30(8):788-94.
- Martinez-Garcia MDM, Rodriguez-Juan JJ, Ruiz-Cardenas JD. Influence of sex gap on muscle strength and functional mobility in patients with cystic fibrosis. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme. 2019.
- Ruiz-Cardenas JD, Rodriguez-Juan JJ, Smart RR, Jakobi JM, Jones GR. Validity and reliability of an iPhone App to assess time, velocity and leg power during a sit-to-stand functional performance test. Gait & posture. 2018;59:261-6.
- Orange STM, J.W.; Liefeith, A.; Jordan, A.R. Validity of various portable devices to measure sit-to-stand velocity and power in older adults. Gait & posture. 2019;(In press).