Dynamic Single-Leg Balance Tests of Physiotherapy Students: A Comparison of Body-Active Weight Shift Test and Two Sudden Disturbance Tests

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Balance is essential to maintain and stabilize the transition from static to dynamic posture. The human body can maintain the center of gravity within the base of support and to process input from vision, the vestibular apparatus, and the somatic senses. AIM: The research aimed to check the correlation of the active body-weight shift test (Y balance test [YBT]) and two sudden perturbation tests in physiotherapy students. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, a descriptive research design was used. Twenty-nine healthy adults (14 men and 15 women) with a mean age of 23.6 ± 6.3 were tested using the active body-weight shift test and two sudden perturbation tests. A descriptive statistical analysis using correlation coefficients was performed. RESULTS: Our subjects’ average values of the test results meet the normative values. There is a correlation between the YBT test and the crossover hop test in the anterior (p < 0.01), posterior-medial, and posterior-lateral directions (p < 0.05), and the triple-hop test forward in the posterior-medial and posterior-lateral directions (p < 0.05), and anterior direction (p < 0.01) for the left extremity, except for the anterior direction to the right. With the right extremity, there is a correlation between the YBT test and the crossover hop test and triple-hop test forward in the posterior medial (p < 0.05), the crossover hop test in the posterior medial and posterior lateral to the left (p < 0.05), and the right (p < 0.01), but no correlation in the anterior direction in either of them. CONCLUSION: The data of all physiotherapy students in our study meet the normative data, and no difference due to gender has been observed. There is a correlation between the active body-weight shift test and sudden perturbation tests with or without lateral movement for the left extremity, but not for the right extremity. We can assume better results when standing on an undominant limb, which can lead to insufficient support when standing on a dominant limb. What should not be the case in providing patient safety.