Abstract
BackgroundPostural stability can be measured in clinical and research settings using portable plantar pressure systems. People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have decreased postural stability compared to non-RA populations and impaired postural stability is associated with falls in people with RA. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the reliability of the TekScan MatScan® system in assessing postural stability in people with RA.MethodsTwenty three participants with RA, mean (SD) age 69.74 (10.1) years, were assessed in barefoot double-limb quiet standing, with eyes open and eyes closed, for antero-posterior and medio-lateral postural sway values. Three repetitions, at a sampling frequency of 40 Hz, were recorded for each test condition to obtain a mean value. Measurements were repeated one hour later. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to determine between-session reliability. Measurement error was assessed through the calculation of the standard error of the measurement (SEM) and the smallest real difference (SRD).ResultsThe system displayed good to excellent reliability for antero-posterior and medio-lateral sway, with eyes open and closed, as indicated by ICC values ranging from 0.84 to 0.92. Measurement error, as evidenced by the SEM, ranged from 1.27 to 2.35 mm. The degree of change required to exceed the expected trial to trial variability was relatively high, compared to mean values, with SRD ranging from 3.08 to 5.71 mm.ConclusionsThe portability and ease of use of the TekScan MatScan® makes it a useful tool for the measurement of postural stability in clinical and research settings. The TekScan MatScan® system can reliably measure double-limb quiet standing in older people, aged 60 to 80 years, with RA.
Highlights
Postural stability can be measured in clinical and research settings using portable plantar pressure systems
Postural stability can be defined as the maintenance of an upright position in quiet standing or the recovery of balance, associated with voluntary movement [1]
The results showed that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) participants displayed a significantly larger centre of pressure (COP) excursion in the AP direction during quiet standing, when compared to the non-RA group, suggesting that postural control mechanisms such as ankle strategies are impeded by the RA process
Summary
Postural stability can be measured in clinical and research settings using portable plantar pressure systems. In order to maintain postural stability the body’s global centre-of-mass (COM) must remain inside the body’s base of support; as defined by the outer borders of the feet This requires active neural control, whereby the central nervous system maintains the COM position in space, resulting in tiny oscillatory movements referred to Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by synovial inflammation and progressive articular destruction [3]. An association between foot deformity and foot function in people with RA has been shown in previous studies [3,5,6,7,8,9] Functional changes, such as muscle weakness, painful joints, altered gait and decreased postural stability can impair balance and affect everyday activities requiring postural control [10,11,12]
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