Testing Dynamic Balance in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Correlational Study between Standard Posturography and...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Robotic devices offer key parameters for assessing motor functions, particularly dynamic balance, in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
• A gap exists in validation studies comparing novel robotic technologies with established assessment solutions.
• This study addresses the need to validate innovative robotic platforms against gold standards for MS balance assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the dynamic balance assessment capabilities of the hunova® robotic platform against the gold standard EquiTest® in people with MS (PwMS).
• To evaluate the validity of hunova® using Center of Pressure (COP)-related parameters and global balance indexes.
• To determine the correlation between measurements from both devices under different sensory conditions.

Main Methods:

• Fifty people with MS (PwMS) performed dynamic balance tasks on both EquiTest® and hunova® platforms.
• Pearson's ρ correlations were used to analyze the relationship between COP-related parameters from both devices.
• Global balance indexes were computed for both platforms under eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions.

Main Results:

• All COP-related parameter correlations were significant in both EO (0.337 ≤ ρ ≤ 0.653) and EC (0.344 ≤ ρ ≤ 0.668) conditions.
• Pearson's analysis showed strong associations for global balance indexes related to the somatosensory system (ρ = 0.710).
• Relatively strong associations were found for visual (ρ = 0.573) and vestibular (ρ = 0.494) systems.

Conclusions:

• The hunova® robotic platform is confirmed as a valid device for dynamic balance assessment in people with MS.
• hunova® may provide a more sensitive measure of balance changes over time compared to traditional methods.
• This robotic platform can enhance the evaluation of personalized treatment effectiveness, supporting evidence-based clinical practice in MS management.