Test-retest reliability of linear and nonlinear measures of postural stability during visual deprivation in healthy subjects.
Masoud Ghofrani, Golamreza Olyaei, Saeed Talebian and 2 others
PMID 29184286WHAT IT FOUND
In healthy adults standing quietly, sway speed and a local stability measure were repeatable within the same day with eyes open or closed.
Sway area with eyes open was not repeatable.
Key findings
01In the eyes-open condition, the Lyapunov exponent had an ICC of 0.90 and total mean velocity had an ICC of 0.88, while sway area had an ICC of 0.37.
02In the eyes-closed condition, range anterior-posterior, Lyapunov exponent, and sway area had ICC values of 0.78, 0.75, and 0.73, and range medial-lateral had an ICC of 0.62.
03Test and retest mean scores did not differ significantly for any center-of-pressure measure in either condition.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only young healthy volunteers were tested, so the reliability may not apply to patients with balance, neurological, musculoskeletal, or vestibular problems. Reliability was assessed only within the same day, not between days or over longer periods. Only one nonlinear measure, the Lyapunov exponent, was tested. The study did not test other sensory manipulations or more challenging balance conditions. The sample was small.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these sway measures are reliable for clinical patients or can diagnose balance disorders. The study tested only healthy adults in quiet standing with eyes open and closed, and reliability in patients was not shown.