Article

PURPOSE: To examine the contribution of subjective balance confidence, balance
ability, motor impairments and muscle strength to the timed 'Up & Go' (TUG)
scores of 78 subjects with chronic stroke using cross-sectional design. METHODS:
Functional mobility was measured in terms of TUG scores. Balance ability and
subjective balance confidence were assessed with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and
the activities-specific balance confidence (ABC) scale, respectively.
Stroke-specific motor impairment and muscle strength of lower extremity were
measured using the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment lower extremity (FMA-LE) scores
and hand-held dynamometer. RESULTS: We found that the TUG scores had the highest
negative correlation with subjective balance confidence. After controlling for
use of walking aids, significant partial correlations were identified between the
TUG scores and subjective balance confidence and balance ability. Applying linear
regression model, the TUG scores showed association with subjective balance
confidence and balance ability, independently. The motor impairments and muscle
strength, however, were not significant predictors of TUG scores. The whole model
could explain 63.0% of the variance in the TUG scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
support that improving both subjective balance confidence, in addition to
functional balance training could be crucial in promoting functional mobility of
community-dwelling stroke survivors.

Langue : ANGLAIS