Measures to Assess Standing Balance in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: A Review Singh Meenakshi1,*, Sarkar Aparna2, Kataria Chitra3 1Ph. D. Scholar, Amity University, Amity Institute of Physiotherapy, Noida, U.P. 2Professor, Amity University, Amity Institute of Physiotherapy, Noida, U.P. 3HOD Rehabilitation, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Delhi *Corresponding Author: Meenakshi Singh, Ph. D., Scholar, Amity Institute of Physiotherapy, Amity University, Noida, UP, India, e-mail: msingh@amity.edu, Phone: +91 9818857487
Online published on 31 March, 2020. Abstract Background/Aim Standing balance after the spinal cord injury is one of the major rehabilitation goals to improve the community participation. Measurement of realistic goal of standing balance requires the use of validated scales in population with spinal cord injury. The study aimed to identify and review the psychometric properties of outcome measures used to assess standing balance in spinal cord injury. Method Multiple databases were searched from the earliest records to March 2019. Reliability, validity and clinical utility of measures of standing balance were extracted. Results Seventeen outcome measures were identified and out of these only six measures-Smart Balance Master, Berg Balance Scale, Activity-Based Balance Level Evaluation (ABLE) scale, Mini BES Test, Functional Reach Test (FRT), and Community Balance & Mobility (CB & M) Scale are direct measurements of standing balance in SCI population with reported psychometric properties. Conclusion There is a need for reliable and valid tests to comprehensively assess standing ability in people with SCI, which encompass a range of tasks that have relevance to ADLs. Top Keywords Spinal Cord Injury, Standing Balance Assessment/Measurement, Paraplegia, Rehabilitation, Reliability, Validity. Top |