MiniBEST vs BBS stroke_final for UIC upload.pdf (159.01 kB)
Download fileComparison of the Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test with the Berg Balance Scale in relationship to walking speed and motor recovery post stroke
journal contribution
posted on 2018-06-19, 00:00 authored by Sangeetha Madhavan, Alka BishnoiBackground: The Mini-BESTest is a recently developed balance assessment tool that incorporates challenging dynamic balance tasks. Few studies have compared the psychometric properties of the Mini-BESTest to the commonly used Berg Balance Scale (BBS). However, the utility of these scales in relationship to post stroke walking speeds has not been explored.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the Mini-BESTest and BBS to evaluate walking speeds in individuals with stroke.
Design: A retrospective exploratory design.
Methods: Forty-one individuals with chronic stroke were evaluated with the Mini-BESTest, BBS, and 10-meter self-selected walk test (10MWT). Based on their self-selected gait speeds (below or above 0.8 m/s), participants were classified as slow and fast walkers.
Results: Significant linear correlations were observed between the Mini-BESTest vs. BBS (r = 0.72, p ≤ 0.001), Mini-BESTest vs. 10MWT (r = 0.58, p ≤ 0.001), and BBS vs. 10MWT (r = 0.30, p = 0.05). Independent t-tests comparing the balance scores for the slow and fast walkers revealed significant group differences for the Mini-BESTest (p = 0.003), but not for the BBS (p = 0.09). The Mini-BESTest demonstrated higher sensitivity (93%) and specificity (64%) compared to the BBS (sensitivity 81%, specificity 56%) for discriminating participants into slow and fast walkers.
Conclusions: The Mini-BESTest has a greater discriminative ability than the BBS to categorize individuals with stroke into slow and fast walkers.