Comparison of Balance in Elderly with and without Diabetes using Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) Desai Riddhi1,*, Debur Ramesh2 1Assistant Professor, Shree Swaminarayan Physiotherapy College, Kadodara Char Rasta, Surat, Gujarat 2Assistant Professor, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, MSRIT, Bangalore *Corresponding author: Riddhi Desai, Assistant Professor, Shree Swaminarayan Physiotherapy College, Kadodara Char Rasta, Surat, Gujarat Phone: 8469120494 E-mail: Desairiddhi13@gmail.com
Online published on 19 June, 2015. Abstract Purpose of the study Changes in postural alignment and other mechanisms are commonly noticed with ageing. These changes results in loss of balance in elderly. Diabetes is also associated with imbalance. Very few studies examine various sources of impairment that causes loss of balance in elderly with and without diabetes. There seems to be a lack of evidence about the sources of impairment. Balance evaluation systems test (BESTest) is an evaluation tool to assess variety of balance impairment sources. Hence, the following study is undertaken to compare balance in elderly with and without diabetes using BESTest. Method A comparative study was undertaken. 94 subjects were selected based on the screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Group 1 consisted of 47 subjects with diabetes and group 2 consisted of 47 non diabetic subjects. Next, the balance was assessed using BESTest. Results Independent T-Test was used to compare the Difference in balance between elderly subjects with and without diabetes and showed a significant difference in the balance on the total score of BESTest(<0.001) and in 4 domains i.e. biomechanical constraints, reactive postural reactions, sensory orientation(<0.001) and dynamic stability in gait(<0.005). There was no significant difference in stability limits and transitions/anticipatory postural reactions sections of BESTest between 2 groups. Conclusion The study concluded that diabetic individuals perform differently on BESTest compared to non-diabetic and their balance is more affected compared to non-diabetics. It was found that out of the six domains of BESTest, four domains which includes biomechanical constraints, reactive postural responses, sensory orientation and stability in gait were affected which could result in a risk of falls. Top Keywords Balance, Elderly, Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), Diabetes. Top |