Article

Poor seated balance negatively impacts the performance of activities of daily
living in nonambulatory individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is
frequently a target of rehabilitation interventions. However, there is a lack of
clinical measures of seated balance in nonambulatory individuals with MS, thus
limiting evaluation of rehabilitation treatments.
The aim of this investigation
is to determine the reliability and concurrent validity of the Function in
Sitting Test (FIST) as a measure of sitting balance in nonambulatory individuals
with MS. Twenty nonambulatory individuals with MS [mean age+/-SD=56.8+/-10.9
years, women n=15 (75%), mean MS duration+/-SD=17.8+/-9.2 years, mean wheelchair
usage duration+/-SD=5.9+/-4.7 years] underwent a FIST and posturography
assessment. The FIST is a 14-item clinical functional assessment of sitting
balance validated in adults with acute stroke. The seated posturography
assessment involved participants sitting on a force platform without support for
30 s. On the basis of the center of pressure trajectory obtained from the force
platform software, two force platform outcomes were quantified: sway area (mm) of
the center of pressure and virtual time to contact to the functional boundary
(seconds). Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's
coefficient-alpha. The test-retest reliability was evaluated using the intraclass
correlation coefficient (ICC). Concurrent validity of the FIST was assessed by
Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Cronbach's-alpha as an index of internal
consistency of the FIST was 0.91. The test-retest reliability was found to be
excellent (ICC=0.92). The FIST was significantly correlated with virtual time to
contact to the functional boundary (rho=0.487, P=0.02), but not with sway area
(rho=-0.267, P=0.25). The observations provide evidence that the FIST is a
reliable and valid tool to assess seated postural control in nonambulatory
individuals with MS.

Langue : ANGLAIS