Ann Rehabil Med.  2017 Apr;41(2):188-196. 10.5535/arm.2017.41.2.188.

Balance Assessment in Subacute Stroke Patients Using the Balance Control Trainer (BalPro)

• Song JW
• Kim JM
• Cheong YS
• Lee YS
• Chun SM
• Min YS
• Jung TD

• KMID: 2389475
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.2017.41.2.188

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To demonstrate the efficacy of the balance control trainer (BCT), developed for training patients with balance problems, as a balance assessment tool in subacute stroke patients.
METHODS
A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out on 38 subacute stroke patients in their first episode of a stroke, and having the ability to maintain a standing position without aid for at least 5 minutes. Patients were assessed using the BCT (BalPro) 43.7±35.7 days after stroke. The balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), a 10-meter walking test (10mWT), a 6-minute walking test (6MWT), and the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index. The correlation and validity between the BCT and various balance assessments were analyzed.
RESULTS
Statistically significant linear correlations were observed between the BCT score and the BBS (r=0.698, p<0.001). A moderate to excellent correlation was seen between the BCT score and 11 of the 14 BBS items. The BCT scores and other secondary outcome parameters (6MWT r=0.392, p=0.048; TUG r=-0.471, p=0.006; 10mWT r=-0.437, p=0.012) had a moderate correlation.
CONCLUSION
Balance control training using the BCT (BalPro) showed significant statistical correlation with the BBS, and could therefore be a useful additional balance assessment tool in subacute stroke patients.

Keyword

Postural balance; Stroke; Posturography; Berg Balance Scale

MeSH Terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Postural Balance
Posture
Prospective Studies
Stroke*
Walking

Figure

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  Fig. 1 A flowchart of this study.

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  Fig. 2 The balance control trainer (BalPro). (A) The balance control trainer consists of a balance board, a tilting sensor, a computer system, a display screen, and safety bars with a harness. (B) The fruit-harvesting electronic game. The top figure means the easiest level with only one target (fruit) and a large-sized indicator (hand), the middle figure stands for moderate difficulty with several targets (5 fruits) and a middle-sized indicator, and the bottom figure shows the highest level of difficulty with many targets (20 fruits) and a small-sized indicator.

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  Fig. 3 The Bland and Altman plot for the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the BalPro score. The dotted line (the middle one) represents the mean difference of the BBS and the BalPro score. Both extremity lines indicate upper and lower correlations (SD 1.96).

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  Fig. 4 A scatter plot between the BalPro score and other balance parameters. (A) Berg Balance Scale (BBS), (B) Timed Up and Go (TUG), (C) 10-meter walking test (10mWT), (D) 6-minute walking test (6MWT), and (E) Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI).

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