Relationship between functional balance and walking ability in individuals with chronic stroke

Abstract

[Purpose] The objective of this cross sectional study was to investigate the validity of Functional Ambulation Category in evaluating functional balance and identifying the relationship between balance impairment and functional ambulation in individuals with chronic stroke. [Participants and Methods] A total of 31 chronic stroke patients with first ever ischemic middle cerebral artery strokes, with no cognitive deficits were recruited. Participants had a mean age of 54.84 (SD=7.05) years and a time after stroke of 22.74 (SD=27.13) months. Community ambulation was determined by Functional Ambulation Category and functional balance was assessed by Berg Balance Scale. [Results] The mean Berg Balance Scale and the Functional Ambulation Category scores were 47.38 (SD=7.54) and 3.8 (SD=0.79), respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that balance impairment and ambulatory function was significantly positively correlated with each other (r=0.80). [Conclusion] The results shows that the Functional Ambulation Category is a valid tool in evaluating functional balance and suggest that functional balance may be an important goal for rehabilitation to achieve improvement in walking ability in people with chronic stroke.

Sensitivity to change and responsiveness of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest in patients with subacute cerebral infarction

“…For responsiveness in the present study, ambulatory independence was used as an external criterion. The reason for using ambulatory independence as an external criterion is that it is so important for patients with stroke at a convalescent rehabilitation ward, and it is related closely to balance ability 3 , 4 ) . The relationship between balance assessments and ambulatory independence is clear.…”

“…Patients with stroke present with various impairments or disabilities 1 ) . In particular, balance impairment correlates strongly with gait ability 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) or activities of daily living (ADL) 1 , 2 ) and outcome 5 ) , so that it is important to evaluate balance ability of patients with stroke. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is considered the gold standard for assessing balance in patients with stroke 6 ) .…”

K-D Balance: An objective measure of balance in tandem and double leg stances

“…20 Adequate musculoskeletal health is necessary to maintain normal balance as reduced balance has been shown to be a risk factor for musculoskeletal injury and poorer balance scores are indicative of lower extremity injury. 21 , 22 Neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis, 23 , 24 Parkinson’s disease, 25 , 26 Alzheimer’s disease, 27 , 28 stroke, 29 , 30 essential tremor, 31 vertigo, 32 and traumatic brain injury and concussion 33 , 34 have been shown to cause significant balance impairments compared with controls. A prospective study examined 210 community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 80 years.…”

Effects of a Music-Based Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Gait and Balance in Subacute Stroke

“…Future research needs to investigate the cost-effectiveness and the persistence of treatment effects over time and at people’s homes with larger cohorts. The recording of variables such as the FAC or the use of assistive devices has probably provided a more functional and qualitative value to the evaluation of the ambulation, unlike the usual parameters such as the cadence or the length of the step, which do not reflect the degree of autonomy of the patient or their walking ability [ 43 ]. In future publications we will report the effects of a music-based rhythmic auditory stimulation on the severity of stroke impairments at 12 months.…”