Using ratings of perceived difficulty for balance exercise prescription and intensity progression.
Saud F Alsubaie, Gregory F Marchetti, Kathleen H Sienko and 3 others
PMID 41743426WHAT IT FOUND
Perceived difficulty ratings rose with age and harder conditions.
Semi-tandem stance was rated harder than eyes closed. Older adults found the most difficult exercises impossible. Use these ratings to guide progression when sway measures are unavailable.
Key findings
01Perceived difficulty ratings increased significantly with age, rising from 2.43 in the youngest group to 4.98 in the oldest.
02Semi-tandem stance was rated significantly harder than feet apart, and eyes closed was rated harder than eyes open, with the stance change producing a larger increase in difficulty ratings.
03Most participants, particularly older adults, could not complete the two most difficult exercises involving foam, eyes closed, semi-tandem stance and head movement.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Participants were healthy adults able to stand for three minutes, so results do not apply to people with known neurological or musculoskeletal balance disorders. Vestibular disorders were not screened for or excluded, so undiagnosed issues may have influenced ratings. A safety harness was worn during testing, which may have reduced fear of falling and altered perceived difficulty. The study was cross-sectional and measured perceived difficulty, not actual training outcomes or fall reduction.
Declared interests
Financial support was received from Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these ratings predict training effectiveness or fall reduction. The study measured how hard exercises felt to healthy adults, not how well they improve balance in patients with disorders.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →