Factors Affecting Test Results and Standardized Method in Quiet Standing Balance Evaluation

Abstract

ObjectiveTo identify factors affecting test results of the quiet standing balance evaluation conducted by posturography and to investigate the standardized method by comparing results according to feet width.MethodThe study cohort consisted of 100 healthy individuals. We assessed the quiet standing balance of subjects by using 3 different methods: standing on a force plate with feet width the same as shoulder width (test 1); with feet width the same as half the shoulder width (test 2); with feet width determined by the subject's comfort (test 3). Subjects underwent each test with their eyes open and closed for 30 seconds each time. Parameters for measuring standing balance included the mean mediolateral and anteroposterior extent, speed, and the velocity moment of center of pressure (COP) movement.ResultsAll parameters showed better results when the subject's eyes were open rather than closed, and the mean AP extent and speed increased as the age of the subjects increased (p<0.01). However, there was no significant correlation between height and the study parameters, and no differences between men and women. Mean mediolateral extent and speed were significantly longer and faster in test 1 compared with tests 2 and 3 (p<0.01). The results of test 2 were better than the results of test 3, but the difference was not statistically significant.ConclusionCOP movements increased with age and when subjects closed their eyes in an evaluation of quiet standing balance conducted by posturography. Gender and height did not affect results of the test. We suggest that an appropriate method for conducting posturography is to have the subject stand on a force plate with their feet width the same as half the shoulder width, because this posture provided relatively accurate balance capacity.

Influence of gender and physical exercise on balance of healthy young adults

“…Several other studies have demonstrated that visual deprivation and the imprecision of proprioceptive information increase center of pressure displacement (26,27,28). Nonetheless, we were not able to find studies in the literature showing vision deprivation, with or without imprecision of proprioceptive information, to cause more negative impact on men than on women.…”

Association of Anthropometric Characteristics to Static Sagittal Postural Balance Strategy in Healthy Young Adults

“…The Non-significant results for height and its proportion of this study contradicts the previous literature [8,[10][11][12] which supports the influence of height on balance by virtue of higher placement of COG in relation to BOS in taller individuals. Results of this study are consistent with the Jung Joong Yoon, et al [38] that revealed the no relationship between height and balance sway. There are studies [10,11] that affirm the influence of height and either of its proportion on medio-lateral sway in quite standing instead of antero-posterior directional sway.…”

Evidence for a general stiffening motor control pattern in neck pain: a cross sectional study

“…Multiple robust regression with Huber's method was used for the other variables due to heteroskedasticity [27]. We adjusted for age and gender (model 1) in all analyses because age has been shown to influence several of the variables measured [28][29][30] and gender was not equally distributed between the groups (Table 1). In the analyses of CM we also adjusted for maximum ROM in the primary plane (model 2) and in the final model for both maximum ROM and peak velocity in the primary plane ROM test (model 3), since these covariates are shown to influence smoothness of movement in previous studies [31].…”