Oakland University Professor Setting Bar For Balance Research

The flagship journal of the American Physical Therapy Association, Physical Therapy, has published an article on balance assessment by Daniel J. Goble, Ph.D., associate professor of Exercise Science in the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University.

The study provides normative data on a balance measure known as “postural sway” collected from a record 16,357 people ranging in age from five to 100 years old. This sample is more than twice as large as the previous high of 7,973 published over a decade ago.

Postural sway is a biomechanical measure of balance based on how much the body moves back and forth when trying to stand still. Postural sway was measured in this study using the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS), a low-cost force plate device created by Goble five years ago. This device measures postural sway from forces sensed by the plate when an individual stands on it for four 20-second trials with eyes closed.

“It is our hope that these normative results will improve the clinical outcomes of hundreds of health professionals who are regularly using the BTrackSBalance Test as a measure of postural sway for balance assessment,” Goble said.

Postural sway is routinely used by medical professionals in cases such as concussion, brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions. Increased postural sway is associated with a person’s ability to conduct activities of daily living. In older adults, excessive postural sway can lead to falls, other injuries and a higher rate of needing residential care.

Force plate technology has emerged as one of the most sensitive and objective means of assessing postural sway in a clinical setting. The BTrackS force plate device is unique in that it is very portable and the test can be done in a matter of minutes.

“Our data for this study was collected by third-party practitioners with many different backgrounds in more than 50 locations across the United States and Canada,” Goble said. “And, while this is a great start that
shows the effectiveness of the testing, we want to continue building the database and growing our sample sizes, while also looking at other subcategories like height and weight.”

In the study, it was found that balance improved from childhood to adulthood and then got progressive worse again starting in the decade of the 40s. Women had better balance then men in almost all age groups.

Goble and research colleague Harsimran S. Baweja from San Diego State University, along with others helping collect data, want their work to impact clinical care so doctors and physical therapists can make the best decisions for their patients in at-risk populations. It is their goal to take this testing from the lab bench to
the bedside and beyond.