1 Before you use it
What it is
Five sit-to-stands from a standard chair, as fast as safely possible, arms folded across the chest. Time it.
Arms folded is the part that gets skipped, and without it the test is measuring something else.
When to reach for it
Knee and hip osteoarthritis, patellofemoral pain, and any lower limb presentation where quadriceps capacity is part of the picture.
A good asterisk sign — it is quick, sensitive to change, and the patient can feel it improving.
Patterns it serves · 3
2 Giving it
Scoring
Time from the initial go to the fifth time the buttocks touch down. Standard chair height, arms crossed, no arm push.
Record the chair height — it changes the number.
What it doesn’t measure
Isolate a muscle group or a side. For unilateral information use a single-leg task.
Repeat it
3 Reading the score
Interpreting it
Its value in MSK is as a repeatable strength-endurance proxy that needs no equipment. Watch for asymmetry in weight distribution, not just the time.
Is the change real?
On placement
Knee OA, 68 years old, 6 weeks of strengthening. 5xSTS 16.4 s at intake, 13.9 s today, same chair, arms crossed both times.
Read it as 2.5 seconds faster. The verified MCID is 2.0 s without using the hands (2.3 s with), measured in older adults — so this clears it. Chair height was the same, which is the only reason the comparison holds.
Do note it as a strength-endurance gain, watch the weight distribution across the two legs on the next set, and keep the dose climbing.
Student trap. Letting them push off the chair or their thighs. Arms crossed, or it isn't the test.
Official source: null. We don't host the form.
This is a learning tool. It does not diagnose patients and does not replace your clinical educator.
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