Timed Up and Go
Also called: TUG test, timed up & go, Timed Up and Go test, timed up-and-go
What it means
The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test times how long it takes someone to stand up from a chair, walk a short distance, turn, walk back, and sit down. It's a quick way to check balance and fall risk.
Falls are a leading cause of fragility fractures, so checking your balance and mobility with the TUG helps spot risk early, alongside your bone density results.
The Timed Up and Go, or TUG test, is a simple way to check how well you move and balance. You start sitting in a chair, stand up, walk about 10 feet, turn around, walk back, and sit down again. Someone times how long it takes. It's quick, needs no special equipment, and is widely used in clinics to screen for fall risk.
This test matters for bone health because falls are a major cause of fragility fractures, especially at the hip, wrist, and spine. A slower-than-expected time, or signs of unsteadiness during the test, can flag someone who might benefit from balance training, a closer look at medications, or a fall-prevention plan. It's often paired with other functional checks like grip strength and sit-to-stand tests, and with your bone density report, to get a fuller picture of fracture risk than bone density alone provides.
The TUG doesn't diagnose a specific condition, and results can be affected by things like vision, joint pain, footwear, or inner-ear balance issues. If your result suggests concern, your doctor or physical therapist can help sort out the cause and recommend next steps, which may include balance or strength exercises.
How sure is this?
Graded Strong Clinical Evidence: Supported by multiple well-designed clinical studies in humans. Read each study with its grade in mind. One study is a piece of the picture, not the whole of it.
A quick stand-walk-turn-sit test checks your balance and fall risk alongside your bone density results.
Where this leads
WordThe TUG test helps spot risk early, but what exactly is it measuring risk of? Fall risk explains why falling, not just weak bones, is the most common cause of fractures.
Where the Academy teaches it
This page is the short version. The lessons teach it in full, with the context around it and a quiz to lock it in.
Related words
Fall risk is how likely you are to fall, and it matters because falling—not just weak bones—is the most common cause…
Balance training is practice that improves your stability and coordination so you're less likely to fall — and falls…
Gait speed is how fast you walk at your normal pace, usually measured over a short, fixed distance like 4 meters.…
The chair stand test measures leg strength and balance by timing how fast or how many times you can stand up from a…
Grip strength is how hard you can squeeze with your hand, measured with a device called a dynamometer. It's used as…
Fear of falling is ongoing worry or anxiety about losing your balance and falling, which can make people limit their…
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
