This study investigated whether 184 volunteers from 20 to 79 years of age could perform eight timed balance tests and examined the relationship between test performance and age. All subjects were able to balance with their feet together and eyes closed for 30 seconds. The ability to balance on the right and left legs did not differ significantly. Subjects over 60 years of age were unable to balance on one leg, particularly when their eyes were closed, for as long a period as younger subjects. The Pearson product-moment and Spearman correlations of age and duration of one-legged balance were -.65 and -.71 (eyes opened) and -.79 and -.75 (eyes closed). The findings suggest that when timed balance tests are performed as a part of a patient's neurologic examination, the results should be interpreted in light of the patient's age. Information is provided to assist in this interpretation.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if differences exist in weight bearing through the paretic and nonparetic lower extremities during various bilateral standing conditions. We used digital scales to measure weight bearing among 25 hemiparetic patients as they stood comfortably, as they alternately shifted as much weight as possible to each lower extremity, and as they alternately stood with each foot on a step. Patients bore significantly more weight (p less than .001) on their nonparetic than on their paretic lower limb during comfortable standing. They bore significantly more weight on their nonparetic extremity when shifting as much weight as possible to it than they did on their paretic extremity when shifting as much weight as possible to it (p less than .001). They bore significantly more weight (p less than .001) on the lower extremity that was not on the step during step standing. For patients comparable to those tested, standing with one lower limb on a 17-cm step should facilitate weight bearing through the contralateral lower limb.

We conducted a retrospective chart audit of initial physical therapy evaluations to determine the incidence of sitting imbalance and its relationship to the side of weakness in hemiparetic patients. A review of the records of 105 patients revealed that the left side was predominantly affected in 52 patients and the right side in 53 patients. Age, time since onset, and proportion of men and women did not differ between the left and right hemiparetic patients. Most patients (81.0%) could sit independently, but 32.7% of those with left-sided weakness and 5.7% of those with right-sided weakness could not. A chi-square analysis revealed a significant relationship between the side of weakness and independent sitting balance (p less than .001). The phi-square test revealed the strength of this relationship to be .12. Patients with left hemiparesis are more likely to have difficulty with independent sitting than patients with right hemiparesis, which may affect their progress in rehabilitation.

The purpose of this retrospective investigation was to determine whether a relationship exists between static strength deficits in the shoulder medial (internal) rotator and elbow flexor muscles and spasticity in these muscles or their antagonists. We reviewed the records of the first 50 stroke patients with hemiparesis who met the entry criteria for the study and who were admitted over a four-month period of time. Static muscle strength was measured by hand-held dynamometry. Spasticity was graded on the Ashworth scale. Kendall's tau correlations were calculated between static muscle strength deficits and spasticity. Static strength deficits of the shoulder medial rotator and elbow flexor muscles were correlated (p less than .01) with the agonist muscles' spasticity, but not with the antagonist muscles' spasticity. Muscle group spasticity and strength deficits, therefore, appear to be covarying manifestations of cerebrovascular accidents. Clinicians, thus, may interpret an agonist muscle's capacity for force production in light of its own tone rather than that of its antagonist.

We monitored the result of a tilt table-wedge board routine on the passive ankle dorsiflexion of 20 patients consecutively to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. The calculated frequency of the treatment, which was applied for 30 minutes on each of 5 to 22 treatment days, ranged from 2.3 to 6.4 treatments a week. All patients demonstrated increased passive ankle dorsiflexion. The increases ranged from 3 to 17 degrees and occurred at a calculated rate of 0.11 to 1.0 degrees a day. We believe the treatment is an effective clinical method for increasing passive ankle dorsiflexion in neurologically involved patients.