Associations between three clinical assessment tools for postural stability.

STUDY DESIGN Clinical Measurement, Correlation, Reliability OBJECTIVES To assess the relationship between the Single Leg Balance (SLB), modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS), and modified Star Excursion Balance (mSEBT) tests and secondarily to assess inter-rater and test-retest reliability of these tests. BACKGROUND Ankle sprains often result in chronic instability and dysfunction. Several clinical tests assess postural deficits as a potential cause of this dysfunction; however, limited information exists pertaining to the relationship that these tests have with one another. METHODS Two independent examiners measured the performance of 34 healthy participants completing the SLB Test, mBESS test, and mSEBT at two different time periods. The relationship between tests was assessed using the Pearson Correlation and Fisher's Exact Tests. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa statistics. RESULTS A significant correlation (r = -0.35) was observed between the mSEBT and the mBESS. Fisher's Exact Test showed a significant association between the SLB Test and mBESS (P = .048), but no association between the SLB and mSEBT (P = 1.000). Inter-rater reliability was excellent for the mSEBT and fair for the mBESS (ICCs of .91 and .61 respectively). Excellent agreement was observed between raters for the SLB test (k = 1.00). Test-retest reliability was excellent for the mSEBT (ICC = 0.98) and fair for the mBESS (ICC = 0.74). There was poor test-retest agreement for the SLB test (k = .211). CONCLUSION THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP OBSERVED BETWEEN THE SLB TEST, MBESS TEST, AND MSEBT: however; strength of association measures showed limited overlap between these tests. This suggests that these tests are interrelated but may not assess equal components of postural stability.