Orthostatic intolerance
9th April 2023 | Melanie Dani & Philip Eardley
Active Stand Test – How to do it and how it can help.
The active stand test is a simple test which can be performed at home to guide your doctors to make a diagnosis of orthostatic intolerance and/or autonomic dysfunction (dysautonomia).
In this short article, we write about what is needed for an active stand test, and how to perform it, and to record the data which may be useful for you and your doctor.
Active Stand Test – How to do it and how it can help.
The active stand test is a simple test which can be performed at home to guide your doctors to make a diagnosis of orthostatic intolerance and/or autonomic dysfunction (dysautonomia).
In this short article, we write about what is needed for an active stand test, and how to perform it, and to record the data which may be useful for you and your doctor.
What you will need:
1. A blood pressure automated machine with an upper-arm cuff (examples could be brands such as Omron M2 – M5 series, or AND series of BP machines. For a complete list of validated BP machines, please check out: https://stridebp.org/bp-monitors
2. A pen and paper (ideally a printout of our attached PDF/Excel sheet) which you can fill in and take to your doctor
3. Ideally a friend/family member who can record your readings of Blood Pressure and Heart Rate and Symptoms.
4. A quiet room, where you will not be disturbed for 10 minutes.
5. A chair
Additional Resources
You can download either an excel spreadsheet, or a printable PDF document, to fill in these data.
Active Stand Template (LINK TO THE EXCEL DOCUMENT)
Active Stand Template PDF (LINK TO PDF DOCUMENT)
How to Perform the Active Stand Test
Please watch this short video to learn how to record your BP during an active stand.
