Functional Ambulation Categories
Draft — clinical review requiredA category scale of how much physical help or supervision a person needs to walk.
Version shown: Category descriptions per published scale.
Before / after comparison
Change: 0.00
Compare the change with measurement error and meaningful-change values for the same population and protocol, citing the source. Same protocol, aid and conditions on both occasions.Go deeper
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What it measures
- Level of assistance needed for walking.
Populations and purposes
- Stroke and other neurological populations; inpatient settings.
Equipment and space
- Safe walking area.
Administration overview
- Observe walking and assign the category that matches the support needed.
- Use the full validated protocol (linked below) when testing patients.
Scoring and units
- Six categories from 0 (cannot walk or needs help of two) to 5 (independent on all surfaces).
Meaning of a higher or lower score
- Higher category = more independent walking.
Interpretation example
- A person needing standby supervision but no physical help sits in a middle category.
Limitations
- Coarse; does not measure speed or quality.
- Norms, fall-risk thresholds, MDC and MCID differ by population and protocol; they are not universal. Measurement error is not the same as clinically meaningful change.
Apply it
FAC measures…
Sources and review status
Draft — clinical review required
Starting points for verification. Validated protocols are linked where available; clinical content has not yet been reviewed.
Learning objectives
- Explain what the Functional Ambulation Categories measures and for whom.
- Describe the set-up and administration overview.
- Interpret a result with its units, population and limitations.