Abstract

Impairments in balance are highly predictive of functional recovery in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and thus merit evaluation. An objective balance evaluation can be implemented by analyzing center of pressure (COP) parameters using stabilometric platforms (SPs). Specifically, concerning subjects with SCI, no studies addressed reliability, validity, or responsiveness of this measure. The objective of the serial cross-sectional study was to analyze the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of COP parameters under various conditions in 23 incomplete SCI subjects, examined 111 times for 1 year. Each session comprised: Berg Balance scale, Tinetti and WISCI scale, stabilometry performed under various sensory conditions (open and closed feet (OF - CF); open and closed eyes (OE - CE). COP parameters analyzed (L: path length; V: velocity, VAP and VLL: anteroposterior and laterolateral velocity, A: ellipse area, SA1 and SA2: x and y-axis of A). V and arithmetically related measures had the highest reliability, validity, and effectiveness scores. Of all test conditions, OE-OF was the most valid, whereas CE-OF was the most responsive. The assessment of balance in SCI subjects can be reliable, valid, and effective on acquisition of V data, based on OF-OE and OF-CE conditions and heel distance values.

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