ABSTRACT
According to a World Health Organization Expert Committee on Rehabilitation, the primary purpose of an exercise test is to determine the responses of the individual to effort at given levels, and from this information to estimate probable performance in specific life and occupational situations (1). Assessing exercise tolerance and, if possible, aerobic capacity or maximal oxygen consumption , is an important part of the evaluation to develop a safe and effective activity prescription. Results from the exercise test help to establish appropriate intensities for training the lower and/or upper extremities and identify occupational and leisure-time activities that are compatible with the patient’s physical work capacity.
