6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) Calculator

Determines the expected distance to be walked when evaluating the patient’s functional status in cardiopulmonary conditions.

Refer to the text below the tool for more information about determining the expected six minute walk distance, its lower values and the recommendations of this test.

The 6MWT is a simple to administer and low-cost functional test that assesses the status of patients in a variety of cardiopulmonary conditions from heart failure to obstructive lung disease.

Conditions 6MWT may be used to evaluate functional status in
Arthritis	Fibromyalgia	Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s Disease	Spinal Cord Injury	Stroke
Muscle disorders	Spinal Muscular Atrophy	Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Please note that whilst a low 6MWT may provide some indication and can have prognostic properties, it remains non-diagnostic and should accompany other diagnostic tests relevant to the suspected conditions.

In the original study of 1998, Enright et al. set out to create gender-specific equations that can predict reference values for the six-minute walking distance in healthy adults. The study involved a cohort of 117 men and 173 women, aged 40 to 80 years. The median distance walked was 576 m for men and 494 m for women.

The predictive equations are:

Gender	Predicted 6-minute walk distance 6MWD)	6MWD lower limit
Male	(7.57 x height in cm) – (5.02 x age) – (1.76 x weight in kg) – 309	6MWD – 153
Female	(2.11 x height in cm) – (2.29 x weight in kg) – (5.78 x age) + 667	6MWD – 139

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Steps on how to print your input & results:

1. Fill in the calculator/tool with your values and/or your answer choices and press Calculate.

2. Then you can click on the Print button to open a PDF in a separate window with the inputs and results. You can further save the PDF or print it.

Please note that once you have closed the PDF you need to click on the Calculate button before you try opening it again, otherwise the input and/or results may not appear in the pdf.

The Six Minute Walk Test Explained

The 6MWT is a simple to administer and low-cost functional test that assesses the status of patients in a variety of cardiopulmonary conditions from heart failure to obstructive lung disease.

Oxygen saturation (SaO₂), pulse rate, and the degree of dyspnea (Borg scale) were determined before and at the end of the walk.

The predictive equations are:

Gender	Predicted 6-minute walk distance 6MWD)	6MWD lower limit
Male	(7.57 x height in cm) – (5.02 x age) – (1.76 x weight in kg) – 309	6MWD – 153
Female	(2.11 x height in cm) – (2.29 x weight in kg) – (5.78 x age) + 667	6MWD – 139

The predicted distance was found to be considerably correlated with age (r = -0.29), height (r = 0.393), weight (r = 0.08), and BMI (r = -0.17).

In practice, the 6MWT may be administered to all ages, from toddlers to elderly adults. The test is recognized for providing valuable information regarding the body’s systems during physical activity: from cardiovascular to pulmonary systems, metabolism, blood and peripheral circulation and activity of neuromuscular units.

The 6MWT has been shown to be a significant predictor of morbidity and mortality in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), heart failure and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Do not administer the test if patient had unstable angina or myocardial infarction less than one month prior. Some other relative contraindications include a resting heart rate over 120, systolic blood pressure over 180 or diastolic blood pressure over 100.

The test must be stopped if the patient experiences chest pain, dyspnea, leg cramps or extreme muscle fatigue, evolving mental confusion or if staggering or pale appearance occur.

The table below summarizes some of the other conditions in which the test may have assessment value:

Conditions 6MWT may be used to evaluate functional status in
Arthritis	Fibromyalgia	Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s Disease	Spinal Cord Injury	Stroke
Muscle disorders	Spinal Muscular Atrophy	Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

An increase in the distance walked between two subsequent tests may be interpreted as a basic improvement in mobility. The 6MWT result may be influenced by a variety of factors, some described in the table below:

6MWT Increasing Factors	6MWT Decreasing Factors
Male gender	Female gender
Higher muscle mass	Higher body weight
Taller heights	Shorter heights*
Past performance of test	Patient’s decreased motivation / Older age
Patient’s increased motivation	Presence of cardiovascular or pulmonary condition

*One criticism of the 6MWT refers to the fact that the predictive equations may be less accurate in shorter patients, who present naturally shorter strides.

The equipment required to perform the test is:

One chair, positioned at one end of the walking course;
Validated scale to measure dyspnea;
Sphygmomanometer for blood pressure;
Pulse oximeter;
Stopwatch;
The walking track should be marked;
First aid kit, emergency plan and access to phone;
Portable supplemental oxygen device.

The American Thoracic Society Guideline for the Six Minute Walk Test provides several guidelines on how to perform the standardized version of the test.

This test is a good alternative for patients who are too old or frail to perform other functional tests, such as the Duke Treadmill Test.

References

Original reference

Enright PL, Sherrill DL. Reference equations for the six-minute walk in healthy adults [published correction appears in Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020; 201(3):393]. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998; 158(5 Pt 1):1384-1387.