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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication

Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication

Published on: December 11, 2013

The reliability of the modified Balance Error Scoring System.

Tamerah N Hunt¹, Michael S Ferrara, Robert A Bornstein

¹School of Allied Medical Professions, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43221, USA. tamerah.hunt@osumc.edu

Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine : Official Journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine

|November 10, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Removing the double-leg stance from the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) improved its reliability. A modified BESS protocol offers a reliable and efficient tool for clinical decision-making in athletes.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication

Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication

Published on: December 11, 2013

Area of Science:

Sports Medicine
Biomechanics
Clinical Assessment

Background:

The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is a common tool for assessing balance.
Understanding the reliability and variance of BESS components is crucial for accurate clinical interpretation.
Previous studies have not fully explored modifications to enhance BESS reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the intraclass reliability and variance of the traditional Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) protocol.
To examine the reliability of modified BESS protocols in high school athletes.

Main Methods:

A prospective, cross-sectional study involving high school athletes (aged 13-19).
Two studies were conducted: Study 1 assessed the traditional BESS, and Study 2 evaluated modified versions.
Modified BESS included different surfaces (firm, foam) and stances (single-leg, tandem-leg) over three 20-second trials. Variance and intraclass reliability were calculated using specialized software.

Main Results:

The traditional BESS had an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.60, with the double-leg stance contributing minimal variance.
Removing the double-leg stance increased the ICC to 0.71.
The modified BESS (3 trials, 4 conditions) demonstrated high reliability (ICC = 0.88) and significant differences between trial 1 and 2 (P=0.013).

Conclusions:

The double-leg stance in the BESS contributes little to overall variance and its removal enhances reliability.
A modified BESS protocol, excluding the double-leg stance and incorporating multiple trials and conditions, is a reliable, cost-effective, and time-efficient clinical tool.
This modified protocol provides objective data for informed clinical decisions in athletic populations.