Development of a clinical tool to assess sensory and motor processes of standing balance control

Balance impairment, reduced mobility skills, and falls are major concerns with increase in aging population. Studies to date have used expensive laboratory tests to assess sensory and motor aspects of balance on fixed, level and firm support surfaces. This makes their use unavailable to clinicians. For these reasons, investigators are now employing dense foam as an alternative test surface.; Purpose. To develop a clinically relevant and objective tool which can emulate both the Sensory Organization Test and the moving platform paradigm for the evaluation of predictive and unpredictive motor control processes.; Objectives. (1) To examine the test-retest reliability of the protocol. (2) To evaluate the effects of support surface and vision on balance performance.; Main findings. (1) Intra Class Correlation of test-retest reliability yielded moderately acceptable values. (2) Surface characteristics, as a single factor, brought about differences in balance performance when compared to conditions where vision was eliminated. (3) Coordination between trunk and shank segments increased with the difficulty level of the task condition.; Conclusion. The use of a foam surface made balance control difficult since it induced sway in both pitch and roll planes. However, the altered vision-surface condition proved to be more challenging for the subjects. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...