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Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test
TUG Test: Time the patient as they rise from a chair, walk 3 metres (10 ft), turn, return, and sit down. You can use the built-in stopwatch or enter the time manually.
Record TUG Time
Time (Seconds)
Guidelines & Evidence
Clinical Details
Section 1
When to Use
When to Use
Routine screening for falls risk in community-dwelling older adults.
Assessing dynamic balance, mobility, and gait in primary care and outpatient clinics.
Monitoring functional decline or response to physical therapy interventions.
The TUG is the most widely recommended functional screening tool for falls because it simultaneously tests leg strength, balance, gait speed, and turning—all critical components of fall biomechanics.
Section 2
Formula & Logic
The Test
Interpretation (Community Dwelling)
< 10 seconds
Normal. Freely mobile.
10 - 12 seconds
Normal for frailer elderly, but implies some mobility impairment.
> 12 seconds
High fall risk. Requires further assessment.
> 20 seconds
Severe impairment. Usually implies dependence in most ADLs.
Section 3
Pearls/Pitfalls
The Cognitive TUG
If a standard TUG is normal but you suspect executive dysfunction or dual-tasking issues, perform the "Cognitive TUG": have the patient count backwards by 3s while walking. A time difference of >4.5 seconds compared to the standard TUG strongly predicts falls.
Section 4
Next Steps
Management
Section 5
Evidence Appraisal
Primary Reference
The timed "Up & Go": a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons.
Podsiadlo D et al. • J Am Geriatr Soc.. 1991;39(2):142-8. Original validation establishing the >12s cutoff for fall risk.
Section 6
Origins
Evolution from the Get-Up-and-Go
Developed in 1991 as an objective, timed modification of the qualitative "Get-Up-and-Go" test created by Mathias in 1986. By adding a stopwatch, Podsiadlo and Richardson created a highly reproducible metric that eliminated rater subjectivity.
