Reliability and validity of quantitative evaluation of anticipatory postural adjustments using smartphones.
Ryo Onuma, Fumihiko Hoshi, Ryosuke Tozawa and 3 others
PMID 37405178WHAT IT FOUND
In ten healthy young adults, a smartphone app measured postural adjustments during one-leg stance with reliability and validity similar to a research-grade accelerometer.
It offers a simple, low-cost screening tool for balance, but has not yet been tested in patients who fall.
Key findings
01Smartphone measurements of postural adjustment timing and magnitude correlated highly with those from a research-grade accelerometer.
02The smartphone tool showed good reliability between different therapists and when the same therapist tested again after three days.
03The study was limited to healthy young adults, so its usefulness for older adults or patients with balance disorders remains untested.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study included only 10 healthy young adults, so the results cannot be generalized to older adults or patients with balance disorders, which are the populations most likely to need this assessment. The sample size is too small to firmly establish reliability and validity for clinical use. The task was a simple one-leg stance, which may not reflect the complexity of real-world balance challenges.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this smartphone tool is ready for clinical use with patients who have balance problems or fall risks. It was validated only in ten healthy young adults, and its performance in impaired populations is unknown.