Article

Impaired standing balance has a detrimental effect on a person's functional
ability and increases their risk of falling. There is currently no validated
system which can precisely quantify center of pressure (COP), an important
component of standing balance, while being inexpensive, portable and widely
available. The Wii Balance Board (WBB) fits these criteria, and we examined its
validity in comparison with the 'gold standard'-a laboratory-grade force platform
(FP). Thirty subjects without lower limb pathology performed a combination of
single and double leg standing balance tests with eyes open or closed on two
separate occasions. Data from the WBB were acquired using a laptop computer. The
test-retest reliability for COP path length for each of the testing devices,
including a comparison of the WBB and FP data, was examined using intraclass
correlation coefficients (ICC), Bland-Altman plots (BAP) and minimum detectable
change (MDC). Both devices exhibited good to excellent COP path length
test-retest reliability within-device (ICC=0.66-0.94) and between-device
(ICC=0.77-0.89) on all testing protocols. Examination of the BAP revealed no
relationship between the difference and the mean in any test, however the MDC
values for the WBB did exceed those of the FP in three of the four tests. These
findings suggest that the WBB is a valid tool for assessing standing balance.
Given that the WBB is portable, widely available and a fraction of the cost of a
FP, it could provide the average clinician with a standing balance assessment
tool suitable for the clinical setting.
CI - Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS