Posturographic performance and repeatability of the computerized sit-to-stand test: preliminary results

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Biomechanics

Background:

• Falls among adults over 65 are a major public health concern, often leading to injury.
• Despite effective interventions like vestibular rehabilitation, balance assessments are not routinely performed in clinical settings.
• Many older adults do not discuss fall risks or balance concerns with their physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate distinct posturographic parameters of the computerized Sit-to-Stand (StS) Test.
• To determine the between- and within-subject variability of these posturographic parameters.
• To assess the utility of the StS test in evaluating balance in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the CAPS® Professional system and BalanceTRAK® software to collect data.
• Recorded ten repetitions of the Sit-to-Stand (StS) test from 25 adult subjects.
• Included health status questionnaires and balance ability assessments as inclusion criteria.

Main Results:

• Significant variation was observed in posturographic parameters both between and within individual subjects.
• All analyzed posturographic parameters exhibited considerable inter- and intra-subject variability.
• No significant learning or fatigue effects were detected across the ten repetitions of the StS test.

Conclusions:

• The computerized Sit-to-Stand (StS) test provides valuable, variable posturographic data for assessing balance in older adults.
• The identified between- and within-subject variability suggests the StS test's sensitivity to individual balance characteristics.
• The absence of learning or fatigue effects supports the reliability of repeated StS measures in clinical and research settings.