One of the members of the team from the University “Gama Filho” in Rio de Janeiro, Claudio Arauljo, is responsible for the sitting and getting up test. Arauljo’s test is especially helpful for athletes, as well as for many patients that he teaches that maintaining flexibility and muscle mass can prolong your life.
In the European Journal of Cardiology, a group of Brazilian physiotherapists published their research including 2,002 persons aged between 51 and 80 years.
They found that patients who achieved eight points or less on a scale of ten are two times more probably going to die in the next six years than the patients who achieved more than eight points.
On the other hand, those who achieved a score that was three or less points were five times more probably to die in the same period.
One point is deducted during the test, each time a person tries to hold on to something like their knees or something else when he stands up or sits down, a half a point is deducted each time there is a loss of balance.
“An important indicator which can predict mortality of a person between 51 and 80 is the condition of the skeletal and muscular system, which is evaluated in this test” says the study.
This exercise can show a lot about the state of the health of young people,even if the results relate to people in the fifth, sixth and even seventh decade of their life.
Although most of physiotherapists agree with their Brazilian colleagues, some are a bit skeptical, wondering: How can older people do such a test?
A British physiotherapist, Sammy Margo, said: “People with weak knees or arthritis shouldn’t attempt to do this test. This is only a warning so that they do not further hurt themselves – and it does not appeal against the research”.
