For many children, standing up from the floor is quick and natural. For children living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, it can take more effort as muscles weaken.
In this video, Monique Dabbous, PhD, director of Patient Affairs, explains Time to Rise From Floor, a test that healthcare providers use to track muscle strength and disease progression. It measures how many seconds it takes for someone to stand up from a lying position. She explains how this test can help guide treatment decisions and why it’s important to connect with your care team early, while children are still getting up easily. Starting available therapies earlier, while muscle function is still at its peak, may help support mobility over time and help keep kids on their feet longer.
Watch and read the transcript below.
Transcript
“In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, time is muscle.
People born with Duchenne are missing a protein that helps keep muscles healthy. Without it, muscles are more easily damaged and weaken over time. As muscles weaken, everyday activities—like climbing stairs, walking, running, standing—can become harder.
To track these changes and monitor disease progression, healthcare providers use simple movement tests. One important measure in younger patients is Time to Rise From Floor, which is sometimes called Timed Rise From Floor.
Time to rise is a movement test usually done in the clinic. It looks at how long it takes someone to get up from the floor. A faster time usually means stronger muscles and better function. As Duchenne progresses, time to rise typically increases.
Researchers found that when a child takes longer than 5 seconds to rise from the floor at their peak motor function—that’s typically around ages 6 to 7—loss of walking ability tends to happen sooner. On average, this occurs about two years earlier than in children who rise more quickly.
When time to rise is faster than expected for a person’s age or disease stage, compared with the natural history of Duchenne, it may be a sign that disease progression has slowed or stabilized.
In Duchenne, every moment matters. Once muscle is lost, it cannot be restored.
Starting available therapies earlier, while muscle function is still at its peak, may help support mobility over time and help keep kids on their feet longer.”
If you have questions about timed movement tests and how providers use data from tests like time to rise to evaluate Duchenne treatment options, talk to your healthcare provider or email our Patient Affairs team at [email protected].
