Relationship between the Balance Evaluation System Test and The Biodex Stability System as a Measurement of Balance in Stroke Patients

Background: Balance impairment is common in stroke survivors. A person with stroke typically has decreased trunk control, poor bilateral integration and impaired automatic postural control. A huge range of objective tools measuring balance have been developed but most of them are designed for research purposes and are impractical, irrelevant or inadequately developed for generalized use with clinical patient populations.Aim of the Study: The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between the balance evaluation system test and the biodex stability system as a measurement of balance in stroke patients.Material and Methods: One hundred stroke patients (study group) and twenty normal adults (control group) of both sexes and age ranged between 45-60 years were included in this study. Balance was evaluated using Biodex Stability SystemTM (BSS) and Balance Evaluation-Systems Test (BESTest). Evaluation for each participant in both groups was done at the start of the study once, by two raters. And for the study group patients they subjected to another assessment after one week.Results: There was a significant strong negative correlation between BESTest scale and BSS measurement. There was a high intra-rater and inter-rater reliability for BESTest measurements.Conclusion: The obtained results suggest that the BESTest is a quick, simple, and cheap measurement to be attractive for use in clinical practice.