Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
Quantitative Static and Dynamic Assessment of Balance Control in Stroke Patients
Published on: May 17, 2020
Assessing balance in non-disabled subjects with multiple sclerosis: Validation of the Fullerton Advanced Balance
Fabiola Giovanna Mestanza Mattos1, Elisa Gervasoni1, Denise Anastasi1
1IRCSS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Via Capecelatro 66, 20148 Milan Italy.
Objective:
To validate the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale for high-functioning non-disabled people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Participants:
A convenience sample of early-diagnosed PwMS (N = 82; Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≤ 2.5) with disease duration ≤ 5 years and a control group of healthy volunteers (N = 45).
Main Outcome Measures:
FAB scale, Timed Up and Go test (TUG), 6 Min Walk Test (6MWT) and 25 Foot Walk Test (25FWT).
Results:
Six of the ten original FAB scale items were selected to represent a unidimensional construct. Only one factor with eigenvalues > 1.0 (1.90) was found. The new version of the scale reported a Cronbach alpha value of 0.65, and it was also statistically significantly correlated with TUG (r = -0.48). The new six-item scale, dubbed the FAB-short scale (FAB-s), discriminated between healthy volunteers and PwMS; moreover, both the FAB-s and the TUG test discriminated between the two PwMS subgroups: EDSS=0-1.5 (no disability) and EDSS=2-2.5 (minimal disability).
Conclusions:
FAB-s is a unidimensional clinical tool for assessing balance. The scale is a promising instrument for detecting subtle changes in balance performance in high-functioning PwMS.
