Article

Fear of falling is common in individuals with stroke; however, the associations
between fear of falling, balance confidence, and the control of balance and gait
are not well understood for this population. This study aimed to determine
whether, at the time of admission to in-patient rehabilitation, specific features
of balance and gait differed between individuals with stroke who did and did not
report fear of falling, and whether these features were related to balance
confidence. Individuals with stroke entering in-patient rehabilitation were asked
if they were afraid of falling, and completed the Activities-Specific Balance
Confidence Scale. Participants performed quiet standing, gait, and reactive
stepping tasks, and specific measures were extracted for each (quiet standing:
centre of pressure amplitude, between-limb synchronization, and Romberg
quotients; gait: walking velocity, double support time, and variability measures;
reactive stepping: number of steps, frequency of grasp reactions, and frequency
of assists). No significant differences were identified between individuals with
and without fear of falling. Balance confidence was negatively related to centre
of pressure amplitude, double support time, and step time variability, and
positively related to walking velocity. Low balance confidence was related to
poor quiet standing balance control and cautious behavior when walking in
individuals with sub-acute stroke. While the causal relationship between balance
confidence and the control of balance and gait is unclear from the current work,
these findings suggest there may be a role for interventions to increase balance
confidence among individuals with stroke, in order to improve functional
mobility.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS