SITTING BALANCE - ITS RELATION TO FUNCTION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH HEMIPARESIS

Objectives: To evaluate test-retest reliability of sitting balance mea sures in healthy subjects and individuals with hemiparesis secondary t o stroke, to evaluate the ability of the balance measures and Function al Independence Measure (FIM) to document changes over time, and to co mpare changes in the balance measures and FIM to each other. Method: S ix nonpatient subjects were evaluated for test-retest reliability. Fou rteen subjects with hemiparesis were tested every 2 weeks during their hospitalization on their ability to lean to either side, lean forward , and maintain a symmetrical posture, Maximum displacement was recorde d using the Balance System. FIM scores were obtained for each testing session. Results: Test-retest reliability for nonpatient subjects was high and for patients was moderate to high. Leaning forward and to the paretic side showed the greatest number of correlations with the FIM scores. All of the FIM scales and the forward lean measure documented progress, Conclusions: The protocol developed to test sitting balance, using the Balance System, seems appropriate for use with patient popu lations. The ability to lean maximally to either side or forward or si t symmetrically is not strongly related to function. (C) 1996 by the A merican Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy o f Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation